A strongly worded editorial in the Communist Party newspaper said that Canada had violated the human rights of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei\u2019s chief financial officer.<\/b>
\nBEIJING \u2014 The official mouthpiece of China\u2019s Communist Party issued strong statements on Sunday protesting the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the Huawei executive who was detained in Canada this month on suspicion of fraud involving violations of United States sanctions in Iran.
In an editorial published Sunday, the People\u2019s Daily newspaper warned of \u201cserious consequences\u201d should the Canadian authorities fail to immediately release Ms. Meng, the chief financial officer of the Chinese electronics giant and daughter of its founder.
\u201cBy convicting her without trial, the Canadian police have completely disregarded the spirit of the law,\u201d the editorial said. \u201cIs this the way a civilized country should act? How can it not make people furious?\u201d
It concluded: \u201cOnly by correcting its mistake, immediately ending its violation of a Chinese citizen\u2019s lawful and legitimate rights and giving the Chinese people a due explanation can Canada avoid paying a heavy price.\u201d
A spokeswoman for the Canadian Embassy in Beijing did not have an immediate comment.
Ms. Meng\u2019s detention has ignited anger and astonishment in China, where Huawei, one of the country\u2019s largest and most internationally successful private companies, is a source of national pride. On Saturday, China\u2019s vice foreign minister, Le Yucheng, summoned the Canadian ambassador to Beijing, John McCallum, to register his protest, according to Xinhua, the state-run news agency.
At a bail hearing on Friday in Vancouver, British Columbia, where Ms. Meng was arrested on Dec. 1 while changing planes, Canadian prosecutors said that she took part in a scheme to trick financial institutions into making transactions that violated American sanctions against Iran.
A warrant for Ms. Meng\u2019s arrest was issued in the Eastern District of New York on Aug. 22, said John Gibb-Carsley, an attorney with Canada\u2019s Justice Department. A Canadian justice then issued a warrant for Ms. Meng on Nov. 30 after it became known that she would change planes in Vancouver on her way from Hong Kong to Mexico.
By the end of the day on Friday, no bail had been set. The hearing is set to continue on Monday morning.
Huawei has said it has no knowledge of wrongdoing by Ms. Meng. In a statement after the hearing on Friday, a company spokesman said: \u201cWe have every confidence that the Canadian and U. S. legal systems will reach the right conclusion.\u201d
The United States government has been looking into Huawei\u2019s business in Iran for several years. After investigating sanctions violations by Huawei\u2019s main Chinese rival, ZTE, the Commerce Department issued heavy fines and required it to replace its senior leadership.
But coming in a year of tariffs and other measures aimed at curbing China\u2019s efforts to upgrade its technological capabilities, Ms. Meng\u2019s arrest has reinforced the feeling among many people in China that Washington is using all means at its disposal to hold back their nation\u2019s economic ascent.
\u201cChina will not stir up trouble. But nor is it afraid of trouble,\u201d the People\u2019s Daily editorial said. \u201cNobody should underestimate China\u2019s confidence, willpower and strength.\u201d<\/p>\n