China: Canada should not become the “51st state” of the United States
(Baonghean.vn) - On December 13, Global Times, a publication of People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, said that Canada needs to distance itself from America's "hegemony" and unconditionally release Ms. Meng Wanzhou - Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Chinese telecommunications corporation Huawei, who was arrested in Vancouver at the request of Wa.
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| Ms. Meng Wanzhou was arrested on December 1 and was granted bail on December 11. Photo: AP |
Ms. Meng was arrested on December 1 and granted bail on December 11. She will be released if the United States does not file a formal extradition request within 60 days of her arrest.
In an editorial, the Global Times said that Ms. Meng has no criminal record anywhere in the world, and that her arrest is a violation of an extradition agreement between the US and Canada, and stressed that Ottawa should end the crisis immediately by unconditionally releasing Ms. Meng, instead of acting like a “51st state” of the US.
“Canada needs to distance itself from US hegemony and fulfill its obligations to help maintain international order and protect human rights,” the paper said.
Authorities in China are also detaining a former Canadian diplomat, Michael Kovrig, on suspicion of engaging in activities that harm China's national security.
According to the Global Times, there is no evidence that Mr. Kovrig's arrest is related to Ms. Meng's arrest, but it is "hypothesized that Canada has gone too far and people inherently believe that China will retaliate."
On the same day, in another editorial, China’s official newspaper China Daily also accused the US of fabricating a diplomatic incident to achieve political goals. The newspaper stressed: “Washington is mistaken in thinking that it can take Ms. Meng hostage in exchange for concessions in upcoming trade negotiations.”