Meng Wanzhou is the daughter of the man who built China’s high-tech pin-up company Huawei and is considered corporate royalty in the world’s second-largest economy.
But now, the 46-year-old chief financial officer and deputy chairwoman of the flagship firm faces extradition to the United States and a court appearance in Vancouver on Friday after being arrested in Canada over potential violations of US sanctions on Iran.
The fallout from the decision has rocked mainland markets and threatened the trade war truce between Washington and Beijing.
After all, her father Ren Zhengfei built the sprawling telecom titan from scratch in the then sleepy fishing town of Shenzhen before it morphed into China’s Silicon Valley.
Exactly 31 years later, Huawei has become the biggest private company in the country with 180,000 employees and a global footprint in more than 100 nations.
Combining a thriving consumer mobile sector with an expanding telecom network business, the conglomerate has also invested heavily in Artificial Intelligence, or AI, Virtual Reality, semiconductors and 5G.
“Huawei will be a top three player in the global communications market 20 years from now,” Ren, 74, a former People’s Liberation Army officer, said back in 1992.
He has since been proved right with revenue projected to hit 655.9 billion yuan (US$102.2 billion) this year, a jump of 9.3% compared to 2017. Last year, the consumer division alone shipped 153 million smartphones with revenue numbers hovering around the 236 billion yuan mark.
But as the group expanded worldwide into the industrial side of the telecoms sector, cracks started to appear. The poster child for the acclaimed “Made in China 2025” blueprint, which has become toxic in Washington, was suddenly being heavily scrutinized by Western governments.
Just hours before it was reported that Meng had been arrested, British Telecom revealed it would be removing Huawei equipment from the core of its 3G and 4G mobile operations in the United Kingdom.
5G infrastructure
BT also stressed that it would block telecom equipment from the company operating in sensitive areas of the UK’s next-generation 5G network.
The announcement followed moves made by Australia and New Zealand to curtail the corporation’s involvement in 5G infrastructure systems because of concerns about possible Chinese government involvement, an allegation that Huawei has denied.
Still, the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission recently issued a report stating that Beijing could force China’s main telecom players to “modify 5G components” for the overseas market.
“[They could be] modified to perform below expectations or fail, facilitate state or corporate espionage, or otherwise compromise the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of networks that used them,” the study highlighted.
Back in February, leading intelligence chiefs from the CIA, FBI and National Security Agency told the US Senate Intelligence Committee they would advise Americans not to use products or services from Huawei and telecom rival ZTE.
“We’re deeply concerned about the risks of allowing any company or entity that is beholden to foreign governments that don’t share our values to gain positions of power inside our telecommunications networks,” Chris Wray, the director of the FBI, told the committee.
“That provides the capacity to exert pressure or control over our telecommunications infrastructure,” he added. “It provides the capacity to maliciously modify or steal information. And it provides the capacity to conduct undetected espionage.”
In a response, ZTE denied the charges while Huawei insisted it “posed no greater cybersecurity risk than any ICT [Information and Communications Technology] vendor.”
Then in April, the US Commerce Department found ZTE had violated a settlement reached in 2017 for breaking sanctions imposed on Iran, which forced the company to shut down most of its operations after being banned from importing US components.
China’s President Xi Jinping was forced to intervene to save ZTE from bankruptcy. Three months later, the company eventually reached a deal with US authorities by paying $1.4 billion in fines, as well as agreeing to overhaul its senior management.
But the damage had been done and the shockwaves rippled across Huawei with US authorities launching a criminal investigation into alleged violations of sanctions on Iran.
Earlier this week, Meng became the first high-profile executive to be caught up in the row.
“The company has been provided very little information regarding the charges and is not aware of any wrongdoing by Ms Meng,” Huawei said in a statement on Thursday.
“The company believes the Canadian and US legal systems will ultimately reach a just conclusion. Huawei complies with all applicable laws and regulations where it operates, including applicable export control and sanction laws and regulations of the UN [United Nations], US and EU [European Union],” it added.
A high-school dropout, Meng stated off as secretary for the group before working her way to the top. Her brother Ren Ping also works for the family business.
But it is unlikely they will end up running the company when their father steps down.
“Huawei’s successor should not only have vision, character and ambition but also a good global perspective and the acumen to drive the company,” Ren said in a letter to employees back in 2013. “My family members do not possess these qualities. Thus, we will never be in the running of the successor race.”
China should be fully prepared for an escalation in the #tradewar with the US, as the US will not ease its stance on China, and the recent arrest of the senior executive of #Huawei is a vivid example: Mei Xinyu, an expert close to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce pic.twitter.com/W4fp8YNfmD
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) December 6, 2018
As for the bigger picture, Meng’s arrest threatens to scupper last weekend’s trade war truce.
The state-run Global Times, which is owned by the mouthpiece of China’s Communist Party, the People’s Daily, has warned that there will be repercussions in a short statement on Twitter.
“China should be fully prepared for an escalation in the #tradewar with the US, as the US will not ease its stance on China, and the recent arrest of the senior executive of #Huawei is a vivid example,” the tweet, which had opposing fists with Chinese and US flags superimposed upon them, said.
Yet the Foreign Ministry went even further in a prepared statement:
“We have made solemn representations to Canada and the US, demanding that both parties immediately clarify the reasons for the detention, and immediately release the detainee to protect the person’s legal rights.”
Nervous markets reacted quickly to the news with a sell-off in the technology sector reflecting a broader downturn.
In Shanghai, the composite index slipped 1.68% while Shenzhen dropped 2.17% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng tumbled 2.47%. Elsewhere, Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.91% while South Korea’s Kospi closed down 1.55%.
“The investigation of Huawei could be a prelude to further action against the firm and its senior officials,” analysis from the Eurasia Group said.
For Meng, it could be the start of an extradition nightmare which could end up plunging China and the US into a technological Cold War.
TELL YOUR PAPA TRAMP to shut down Huawei if he dares!
Yashad Rizvi hey the brown closet guy. How are you?
Yashad Rizvi hey the brown closet guy. How are you?
To settle this issue once and for all, US has got to do the thing as it is written. More cry babies will appear.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/more-chinese-tech-companies-could-be-hit-with-us-export-ban-japanese-media-say_2711468.html?fbclid=IwAR28A4_dkLu6kVTYM9Id8rtZ1kOYi1BGiJ2AOrJ0P6_w7kPwJEgw4lr7v4I
To settle this issue once and for all, US has got to do the thing as it is written. More cry babies will appear.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/more-chinese-tech-companies-could-be-hit-with-us-export-ban-japanese-media-say_2711468.html?fbclid=IwAR28A4_dkLu6kVTYM9Id8rtZ1kOYi1BGiJ2AOrJ0P6_w7kPwJEgw4lr7v4I
HISTORY IS AGAINST CHINA ! HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF !
IT’S A DEFINITE THING, CHINA WILL BE LIKE USSR. IT ALSO HAPPENED TO YUGOSLAVIA. CHINA IS ALREADY GASPING FOR BREATH FROM THE TRADE WAR. NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. IF XI JIN PIG MISHANDLE THE SITUATION, HE COULD BE DEPOSED AND CCP WILL CRUMBLE.
SITUATION IS VERY CRITICAL AND US-TRUMP, NO MATTER WHAT DETRACTORS SAYS, FULLY UNDERSTANDS AND HOLDS THE ACES. IT IS IMMINENT. 2019 COULD BE THE YEAR ! JUST LIKE USSR, IT WILL BE SUDDEN.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Picks/China-up-close/Xi-has-tied-his-own-hands-in-the-trade-war
https://m.theepochtimes.com/the-fragile-chinese-empire_2726623.html?fbclid=IwAR2CtqDzNWgLXUSDqtcBhi85z0w64ys2b9YI4QDj-NPfCHvJlB-jLchqBpg
HISTORY IS AGAINST CHINA ! HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF !
IT’S A DEFINITE THING, CHINA WILL BE LIKE USSR. IT ALSO HAPPENED TO YUGOSLAVIA. CHINA IS ALREADY GASPING FOR BREATH FROM THE TRADE WAR. NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. IF XI JIN PIG MISHANDLE THE SITUATION, HE COULD BE DEPOSED AND CCP WILL CRUMBLE.
SITUATION IS VERY CRITICAL AND US-TRUMP, NO MATTER WHAT DETRACTORS SAYS, FULLY UNDERSTANDS AND HOLDS THE ACES. IT IS IMMINENT. 2019 COULD BE THE YEAR ! JUST LIKE USSR, IT WILL BE SUDDEN.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Picks/China-up-close/Xi-has-tied-his-own-hands-in-the-trade-war
https://m.theepochtimes.com/the-fragile-chinese-empire_2726623.html?fbclid=IwAR2CtqDzNWgLXUSDqtcBhi85z0w64ys2b9YI4QDj-NPfCHvJlB-jLchqBpg
Do you think, without biased opinion, that genius Trump will allow China to supplant US as the preeminent superpower in this world. NEVER ! GENIUS TRUMP HOLD ALL THE CARD OF ACES. HE WILL BRING THIS ALL TO BEAR.
The great trade hawk, Robert Lighthizer, was appointed by Trump to lead the nego. China cannot expect much leeway as what it has done in the past.
Only dreaming fools will contradict this reality.
Do you think, without biased opinion, that genius Trump will allow China to supplant US as the preeminent superpower in this world. NEVER ! GENIUS TRUMP HOLD ALL THE CARD OF ACES. HE WILL BRING THIS ALL TO BEAR.
The great trade hawk, Robert Lighthizer, was appointed by Trump to lead the nego. China cannot expect much leeway as what it has done in the past.
Only dreaming fools will contradict this reality.
After all things are said and done, and all these things come into fruition, where will all all the Wumaos go? Back to the scrap heap looking for salvageable materials with value.
After all things are said and done, and all these things come into fruition, where will all all the Wumaos go? Back to the scrap heap looking for salvageable materials with value.
Enb Libra The South China Seas issue is another place where I’ve seen western media endlessly spinning mistruths and outright propaganda trying to smear China.
One is that China is claiming ownership over the entire South China Seas, along with bombastic hyping of the China "threat" and intense US efforts to sow discord among Asian countries and get them to buy more US weapons.
But the reality is that the nine dashed line is an air defence zone, not economic exclusion zone. It’s to identify passing aircraft and to prevent a repeat of a tragic incidence like that of the Malaysian Airline passenger jet been shot down over a conflict area.
Another is that China has no right to respond to the deployment of hundreds of US military bases already surrounding China. Every leader’s foremost duty is to ensure the safety and security of its people. Is this wrong? Note I’ve read the Xi speech. This was not a promise, agreement or treaty by the way. He said China does not intend to pursue militarization of Nansha Island. Key point, China did not put any of military installations on the contested Nansha/Spratly Islands, instead they spent billions of dollars in land reclaimation create their own islands from scratch to host these facilities. Existing Chinese development on Nansha/Spratly are civilian in nature along the lines of fishing and tourism.
Finally since 2013 when the US roped in their puppet Aquinos to start this whole thing, China has already peacefully settled their SCS dispute with both the Philippines and Vietnam. Since the presidents of both these countries are satisfied with the results, by what right do the people in the western media have by keep on butting in and repeating their lies?
The answer is that it was never about these South-East Asian countries, it’s about US efforts in continuing their global hegemony. The US wants a war with China and for these countries to serve as their human shields, if these SE Asian countries bankrupts their economy buying US weapon, all the sweeter for the US mil-industrial complex. Everything you read on the western MSM propaganda machine is there to support those goals. Look up the membership list of the Council on Foreign Relations, you’ll find a who’s who of western media ownership.
Enb Libra The South China Seas issue is another place where I’ve seen western media endlessly spinning mistruths and outright propaganda trying to smear China.
One is that China is claiming ownership over the entire South China Seas, along with bombastic hyping of the China "threat" and intense US efforts to sow discord among Asian countries and get them to buy more US weapons.
But the reality is that the nine dashed line is an air defence zone, not economic exclusion zone. It’s to identify passing aircraft and to prevent a repeat of a tragic incidence like that of the Malaysian Airline passenger jet been shot down over a conflict area.
Another is that China has no right to respond to the deployment of hundreds of US military bases already surrounding China. Every leader’s foremost duty is to ensure the safety and security of its people. Is this wrong? Note I’ve read the Xi speech. This was not a promise, agreement or treaty by the way. He said China does not intend to pursue militarization of Nansha Island. Key point, China did not put any of military installations on the contested Nansha/Spratly Islands, instead they spent billions of dollars in land reclaimation create their own islands from scratch to host these facilities. Existing Chinese development on Nansha/Spratly are civilian in nature along the lines of fishing and tourism.
Finally since 2013 when the US roped in their puppet Aquinos to start this whole thing, China has already peacefully settled their SCS dispute with both the Philippines and Vietnam. Since the presidents of both these countries are satisfied with the results, by what right do the people in the western media have by keep on butting in and repeating their lies?
The answer is that it was never about these South-East Asian countries, it’s about US efforts in continuing their global hegemony. The US wants a war with China and for these countries to serve as their human shields, if these SE Asian countries bankrupts their economy buying US weapon, all the sweeter for the US mil-industrial complex. Everything you read on the western MSM propaganda machine is there to support those goals. Look up the membership list of the Council on Foreign Relations, you’ll find a who’s who of western media ownership.
Cathy Seuss
You maybe from the Chinese propaganda dept or intelligence services. Having a Western namesake as cover doesn’t make you believable and I am not that stupid to buy into that. The tone and way you deliver your message is highly pro CCP-China and is totally unacceptable.
UNCLOS, where China is a signatory, already defined maritime entitlements and EEZ of each country around the SCS. China lost the Hague ruling and Philippines won based on international law (UNCLOS) and ruling in the Hague. Therefore, China has no right or business occupying those man made islands, which remains NOT RECOGNISED INTERNATIONALLY. China is therefore illegally squatting on these militarized man made islands and areas, some of which is part of our EEZ and within our maritime borders, where it has no rightful ownership. China is using coercion and superior military strength in bullying all its neighbors to accept its will.
China is an egregious and a bad actor globally accusing US of hegemony. The fact is, China wants to displace the US as a global hegemon.
You cannot mislead and convince me/us. As one of the weak countries, we would be willing to accept US hegemony than its Chinese equivalent. China is an evil country. It’s a great oppressor of its own people and a gross violator of human rights, no freedom of speech, and running the extreme evil of organ harvesting of Falun Gongs, Uighurs, Tibetans, prisoners of conscience and house Christians. No amount of cover up by your government-CCP could contain the strong smell of stench emanating from these human rights violations.
Therefore, you have to find someone like you, a CCP member or Wumao, who will be sympathetic to your way of thinking.
Lastly, history is against Communist China. No communist country can continue to succeed or last forever. This fact remains true up to now. There are now significant cracks appearing in your country’s economy and society.
I strongly believe that China will collapse and disintegrate, like USSR, or, be balkanized like Yugoslavia, eventually in the very near future. When that time comes, and it will, our God willing,
we will take back what is righfully ours.
Cathy Seuss
You maybe from the Chinese propaganda dept or intelligence services. Having a Western namesake as cover doesn’t make you believable and I am not that stupid to buy into that. The tone and way you deliver your message is highly pro CCP-China and is totally unacceptable.
UNCLOS, where China is a signatory, already defined maritime entitlements and EEZ of each country around the SCS. China lost the Hague ruling and Philippines won based on international law (UNCLOS) and ruling in the Hague. Therefore, China has no right or business occupying those man made islands, which remains NOT RECOGNISED INTERNATIONALLY. China is therefore illegally squatting on these militarized man made islands and areas, some of which is part of our EEZ and within our maritime borders, where it has no rightful ownership. China is using coercion and superior military strength in bullying all its neighbors to accept its will.
China is an egregious and a bad actor globally accusing US of hegemony. The fact is, China wants to displace the US as a global hegemon.
You cannot mislead and convince me/us. As one of the weak countries, we would be willing to accept US hegemony than its Chinese equivalent. China is an evil country. It’s a great oppressor of its own people and a gross violator of human rights, no freedom of speech, and running the extreme evil of organ harvesting of Falun Gongs, Uighurs, Tibetans, prisoners of conscience and house Christians. No amount of cover up by your government-CCP could contain the strong smell of stench emanating from these human rights violations.
Therefore, you have to find someone like you, a CCP member or Wumao, who will be sympathetic to your way of thinking.
Lastly, history is against Communist China. No communist country can continue to succeed or last forever. This fact remains true up to now. There are now significant cracks appearing in your country’s economy and society.
I strongly believe that China will collapse and disintegrate, like USSR, or, be balkanized like Yugoslavia, eventually in the very near future. When that time comes, and it will, our God willing,
we will take back what is righfully ours.
Michael Zhao , agent orange. I like that. I’ve been using president chump
Michael Zhao , agent orange. I like that. I’ve been using president chump
Winston Medved and in England, herr rothschild makes a whole jet disappear to control a computer chip.
Winston Medved and in England, herr rothschild makes a whole jet disappear to control a computer chip.
hi
hi
Enb Libra So anybody who’s pro-China must be part of the CCP? That’s pretty laughable. What kind of closed minded person thinks that way. I guess all the people who are smart enough to realise they’ve been lied to by the western media must be CCP. All the pro-peace, anti-war people who are sick of America’s constant warmongering must be CCP. All the people in the middle east or africa who had country bombed must be CCP. All the people in south america and middle east who had family killed by american trained death squads must be CCP. All the people around the who had their democratically elected government overthrown by CIA coups must be CCP. It speaks more to your "everyone who disagrees with me must be CCP" mindset than anything on my end.
As for the Philiphines I feel very sorry for them. The US puppet Aquinos wasted $30 million dollars of their countries’ money for a kangaroo court to give them a piece of paper that didn’t do anything. That money that could of been spend on roads, school, hospitols, a lot of things that would of improved the lives of their citizens.
FYI The Dalai Lama, Falun Gong, World Uyghur Congress have well known CIA links and have been funded by them to conduct terrorism and propaganda. If you believe them, you might as well believe the ISIS headchoppers in Syria who said the Syrian government was using chemical weapons. Or that Halabi guy Saddam had WMDs. Or the Tiananmen Square Massacre happened. Or that the US invaded Vietnam because Vietnam attacked them in the Gulf of Tonkin. I could go on, but you get the gist.
Finally I’ve seen MSM propaganda harping on about
the collapse of China even since I was little. Not only has China not collapsed, I’ve seen the propaganda going from "China collapse is imminent" to "China’s GDP is not as high as the stats say" to today’s "Oh shit China’s beating us, they must be stealing and cheating!"
It’s absolutely ridiculous. After been wrong for over 30+ years I would think gullible people like you would realise they’ve been lied to by now.
Enb Libra So anybody who’s pro-China must be part of the CCP? That’s pretty laughable. What kind of closed minded person thinks that way. I guess all the people who are smart enough to realise they’ve been lied to by the western media must be CCP. All the pro-peace, anti-war people who are sick of America’s constant warmongering must be CCP. All the people in the middle east or africa who had country bombed must be CCP. All the people in south america and middle east who had family killed by american trained death squads must be CCP. All the people around the who had their democratically elected government overthrown by CIA coups must be CCP. It speaks more to your "everyone who disagrees with me must be CCP" mindset than anything on my end.
As for the Philiphines I feel very sorry for them. The US puppet Aquinos wasted $30 million dollars of their countries’ money for a kangaroo court to give them a piece of paper that didn’t do anything. That money that could of been spend on roads, school, hospitols, a lot of things that would of improved the lives of their citizens.
FYI The Dalai Lama, Falun Gong, World Uyghur Congress have well known CIA links and have been funded by them to conduct terrorism and propaganda. If you believe them, you might as well believe the ISIS headchoppers in Syria who said the Syrian government was using chemical weapons. Or that Halabi guy Saddam had WMDs. Or the Tiananmen Square Massacre happened. Or that the US invaded Vietnam because Vietnam attacked them in the Gulf of Tonkin. I could go on, but you get the gist.
Finally I’ve seen MSM propaganda harping on about
the collapse of China even since I was little. Not only has China not collapsed, I’ve seen the propaganda going from "China collapse is imminent" to "China’s GDP is not as high as the stats say" to today’s "Oh shit China’s beating us, they must be stealing and cheating!"
It’s absolutely ridiculous. After been wrong for over 30+ years I would think gullible people like you would realise they’ve been lied to by now.