Huawei insists on Meng's innocence, calls for justice after ruling

A Canadian judge ruled on Wednesday that the extradition case against Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s chief financial officer, can proceed. Huawei said it was “disappointed” at the ruling and insisted on Meng’s innocence.

According to the ruling by the Supreme Court of British Columbia, the case meets the Canadian extradition standards of “double criminality,” Xinhua news agency reported.

In a statement, Huawei said: “We have repeatedly expressed confidence in Ms Meng’s innocence. Huawei continues to stand with Ms Meng in her pursuit of justice and freedom.” It said Meng’s lawyers continue to work to “see justice is served.”

Meng is the daughter of Ren Zhengfei, Huawei’s founder.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian has urged Canada to "correct its mistake,” release Meng and ensure her safe return to China. The United States and Canada abused their bilateral extradition treaty and arbitrarily took compulsory measures against a Chinese citizen without cause, Xinhua reported Zhao as saying.

“This is a serious political incident that grossly violates the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese citizen,” Zhao said. 

Meng was detained in December 2018 by Canadian authorities and faces extradition to the US, where she is charged with bank fraud and evasion of US sanctions on Iran.

Under the latest US regulations, foreign manufacturers require a license before being able to offer semiconductor products or services to Huawei.

Huawei’s business will “inevitably be affected” and its priority “turns to survival,” Guo Ping, its rotating chairman, said during its annual analyst conference in May.

Huawei is opposed to stricter US technology export controls that specifically target the company, because it hurts the entire industry and the over 3 billion people using Huawei products, Guo said.

In 2019, Huawei's revenue grew 18 percent to hit a record 850 billion yuan (US$121.4 billion) despite the US sanctions.