Canada’s ambassador to China said an executive for Huawei Technologies had “good arguments on her side” to avoid extradition to the United States, where she faces accusations of trade violations.
Reuters reported Wednesday that Canadian Ambassador John McCallum told Chinese-language media that Meng Wanzhou, an executive with the telecommunications giant, could point to “political involvement by comments from Donald Trump in her case.”
Meng’s arrest reportedly came at the request of the U.S., which alleges that Huawei violated U.S. trade sanctions against Iran.
{mosads}“Canada does not sign onto these Iran sanctions. So I think she has some strong arguments she can make before a judge,” McCallum said, according to Reuters.
McCallum’s comments were broadcast on Wednesday, a day after Canada’s ambassador to the United States said he expected the U.S. will request Meng’s extradition.
McCallum reportedly laid out three scenarios for resolving Meng’s case. The first would involve her extradition, which McCallum said “would not be a happy outcome” and could take years.
He suggested the U.S. could make a deal with China and drop the extradition request, or a Canadian court could release Meng.
Canadian authorities detained Meng on Dec. 1, prompting strong objections from Chinese officials.
Within weeks of Meng’s arrest, China had detained two Canadian citizens on suspicion of “engaging in activities that endanger the national security” of China. A third Canadian was detained and later released.