Canada’s arrest of Huawei Technologies’ chief financial officer in Vancouver is fuelling concern that Canadian business people in China are at risk of being arrested in retaliation.
That view is being advanced by international security analysts and former diplomats, following the arrest on Saturday of Meng Wanzhou.
The Justice Department says the United States is seeking Meng’s extradition, but is not providing further details about the case because of a court-ordered publication ban on her pending bail hearing.
Chinese officials are loudly calling for Meng’s release and want Canada to reveal the reason for her arrest.
Fen Hampson, the director of the global security program at the Centre for Governance Innovation, says Canadian businesses in China need to be aware of the possibility of a tit-for-tat response.
David Mulroney, a former Canadian ambassador to China, says that while he doesn’t want to overstate the possibility of a Canadian being jailed, China is furious and will be looking for ways to strike back.
The Canadian Press
