 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
 by Staff Writers Washington (AFP) Dec 12, 2018
US President Donald Trump said in an interview Tuesday that he may intervene in the US case against a top Huawei executive detained and bailed by Canada if it helps seal a trade deal with China. Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's chief financial officer, is wanted by US authorities for violating Iran sanctions but Beijing has expressed outrage over her detention in Vancouver, ratcheting up tensions in the US-China trade dispute. Asked by Reuters if he would intervene with the Justice Department in her case, Trump was quoted as saying: "Whatever's good for this country, I would do." "If I think it's good for what will be certainly the largest trade deal ever made -- which is a very important thing, what's good for national security -- I would certainly intervene if I thought it was necessary," Trump said. He added that White House officials had communicated with the Justice Department and Chinese officials about the Meng case but said he had not personally spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping. Questioned on domestic and international affairs, Trump also stood by Saudi Arabia's crown prince over the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi and said he was not concerned that he would get impeached over scandals mounting at home. But his comments on the Meng case are likely to garner the most attention as it has become a flashpoint in the already fragile trade relationship with the world's top two economies, locking them in a dispute that has begun to eat into profits. - 'Very good ally' - Beijing has expressed outrage over Meng's arrest at the request of Washington on December 1 and is holding a former Canadian diplomat in China, intensifying the row. Meng was granted bail in Vancouver earlier, but the list of strict conditions of her release pending the outcome of the extradition case is lengthy, and includes electronic tagging. Asked about Washington Post columnist Khashoggi's October 2 murder at the Saudi embassy in Istanbul, Trump refused to comment on the CIA's reported assessment that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was likely complicit, and instead offered his unequivocal backing. "He's the leader of Saudi Arabia. They've been a very good ally," Trump said, adding that standing by the kingdom meant backing Prince Mohammed. His remarks came as pressure builds on the president over the investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia to swing the 2016 election. Trump told Reuters the American people "would revolt" if the Mueller probe -- or separate allegations by federal prosecutors that he ordered illegal hush money payments during the campaign to cover up affairs -- led to impeachment proceedings. "It's hard to impeach somebody who hasn't done anything wrong and who's created the greatest economy in the history of our country," the president said.
Huawei executive gets bail in case rattling China ties The conditional release granted to Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei, came hours after the detention of a former Canadian diplomat in Beijing further stoked tensions. Meng, who faces a US extradition bid on charges related to alleged violations of Iran sanctions, was granted Can$10 million (US$7.5 million) bail, ordered to surrender her passport and will be subjected to electronic monitoring. "The risk of (Meng's) non-attendance in court can be reduced to an acceptable level by imposing the bail conditions proposed by her counsel," a judge in Vancouver said, prompting the courtroom packed with her supporters to erupt in cheers. She was expected to be released shortly, and will be allowed to stay at a luxury home owned by her husband, Liu Xiaozong, in Vancouver. Her December 1 arrest in Vancouver has shaken China's relations with Canada and the United States, and raised concerns that it could derail a US-China trade war truce. US officials have said the arrest was unrelated to the trade talks, but US President Donald Trump told Reuters he "would certainly intervene" in the case if it can help strike a deal with China. Huawei is a strategically key company for China's global high-tech ambitions, but some of its services have been blocked in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Britain over security concerns. Meng, who is the daughter of Huawei's founder, is accused of lying to bankers about the use of a covert subsidiary to sell to Iran in breach of sanctions. If convicted, she faces more than 30 years in prison. The extradition process, scheduled to start on February 6, could take months, even years, if appeals are made in the case. Her lawyer, David Martin, argued that she was not a flight risk because it would otherwise "embarrass China itself". She had also cited health reasons for requesting bail. During a break in the proceedings, Martin said Meng looked forward to a break to spend with family, read novels and maybe apply to a doctorate program while the extradition case played out after "working hard for 25 years". Huawei said in a statement it was confident that the courts would "reach a just conclusion" in the case and stressed that the company complies with all laws and sanctions. - Former diplomat detained - While Meng secured her release, the International Crisis Group think thank said its North East Asia senior adviser, former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig, was detained by Chinese state security in Beijing on Monday night. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau voiced concern over the detention. "This has our attention at the very highest level of our government," said Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland. China had warned Canada of "grave consequences" over Meng's arrest as it demanded her release, although Canada said no link between the two cases had been established. But a former Canadian ambassador to Beijing, Guy Saint-Jacques, said Kovrig's detention was likely linked to Meng's case. "There is no coincidence in China," Saint-Jacques told AFP. "In this case it is clear the Chinese government wants to put maximum pressure on the Canadian government." - 'He loves China' - Kovrig, a Mandarin speaker, was a political officer at the embassy from 2014-2016 who met with dissidents and travelled to China's restive far west Xinjiang region, Saint-Jacques said. He took an unpaid leave from the embassy because he "loves China" and wanted to continue to work in the country, the former ambassador said. "It's easy to concoct espionage accusations against someone in China," he said. "When I learned the news this morning it deeply saddened because Michael was a good political officer, but he is not a spy at all," Saint-Jacques said. The US State Department called on China to "end all forms of arbitrary detentions." China's state security and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to faxed questions. Brussels-based ICG said in a statement that it has received no information about Kovrig since his detention and is concerned about his health and safety. "Michael did not engage in illegal activities nor did he do anything that endangered Chinese national security," ICG president Robert Malley told AFP. "He was doing what all Crisis Group analysts do: undertaking objective and impartial research."
Huawei exec seeks Canada bail, proposes electronic monitoring Vancouver (AFP) Dec 11, 2018 A top executive of Chinese telecom giant Huawei sought release from Canadian detention Monday, offering to submit to strict electronic monitoring, as Beijing escalates its protests over her arrest on a US warrant. Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's chief financial officer, faces US fraud charges related to alleged sanctions-breaking dealings with Iran, and has been awaiting a Canadian court's bail decision - which after two days of hearings was put off until Tuesday. She was detained in Vancouver on Decemb ... read more
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Google
