Chinese FM lodges protest over Huawei CFO extradition to US, slams Canada

The Canadian Department of Justice has said that Ottawa had decided to grant authorization to proceed with the extradition process in Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou’s case.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Saturday that Beijing expressed opposition to Canada’s decision on Meng Wanzhou extradition to the United States.
“The Chinese side has expressed its extreme discontent and decisive protest to the Canadian side due to its persistent promotion of the so-called judicial procedures on the extradition of Ms. Meng Wanzhou. Beijing has already lodged stern representations [with Ottawa]”, the ministry’s spokesman, Lu Kang, said in a statement.
The British Columbia Supreme Court has scheduled an appearance date for 6 March to confirm the extradition authorization and to set the date for the extradition hearing.
Meng, the daughter of the founder of Chinese telecoms giant, was arrested in Vancouver on 1 December 2018 at the United States’ request, reportedly for failing to comply with US sanctions against Iran. The arrest was decried by Beijing, which demanded that Canadian authorities immediately release the Chinese national.
Chinese-Canadian relations were further strained following the detention of two Canadian citizens, former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor, in China shortly after Meng’s arrest. While the detentions have been widely regarded as Beijing’s retaliation for the arrest of the Huawei executive, Chinese authorities have denied the allegations, insisting that the two men posed a threat to national security