Meng Wanzhou, suspected of fraud, asks to be placed under 24-hour watch at one of her Vancouver homes while her case proceeds.
A Chinese tech executive facing extradition to the U. S. on fraud charges related to alleged Iran sanctions violations asked a Canadian court Monday to grant her bail, the latest development in an explosive case that has tested a shaky truce over trade between the United States and China.
Before a packed courtroom in Vancouver, British Columbia, lawyers for Meng Wanzhou, Huawei Technologies’ chief financial officer and daughter of the company’s founder, argued their client should be released ahead of her extradition hearing because she is in poor health and is unlikely to flee because of her close ties to the Canadian city.
The hearing closed without a decision Monday and will continue Tuesday.
Meng’s case is being closely watched by Washington, Beijing and Ottawa, where her arrest has roiled markets and is at risk of devolving into a broader political dispute.
The Chinese tech executive was arrested at an airport in Vancouver while traveling from Hong Kong to Mexico on Dec. 1 – the same day that President Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Argentina to discuss ongoing trade tension.
The timing appears to be a coincidence. The court heard Friday that the warrant for her arrest was issued Aug. 22. Canadian authorities readied to act in November, when they learned of her plans to transit through Vancouver.
Since news of her arrest broke last week, the U. S. and Canada have said little about the case.
China has called repeatedly for her release, calling her detention a violation of human rights and implying that she was the victim of a cynical U. S. effort to gain leverage over China in the trade war.
Beijing has thus far shown a willingness to keep the issue separate from its ongoing trade dispute with the United States, focusing instead on pressuring Canada to release Meng and stop extradition proceedings.
