Repercussions

"[Canada's extradition treaty with the U.S. infringes on the] safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens."
"[China demands the U.S. withdraw its arrest warrant against Meng and] not make a formal extradition request to the Canadian side."
"Anyone with normal judgment can see that the Canadian side has made a serious mistake on this issue from the very beginning."
"We all need to shoulder responsibility for what we do. The same is true for a country. Be it Canada or the U.S., they need to grasp the seriousness of the case and take measures to correct their mistakes."
Hua Chunying, China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman

In this Dec. 12, 2018, file photo, Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou arrives at a parole office with a security guard in Vancouver, British Columbia. China on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019, demanded the U.S. drop a request that Canada extradite the top executive of the tech giant Huawei, shifting blame to Washington in a case that has severely damaged Beijing’s relations with Ottawa. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

"[The arrests of the two Canadians will lead to] less dialogue and greater distrust, and undermine efforts to manage disagreements and identify common ground."
"Both China and the rest of the world will be worse off as a result."
Partial text of letter to President Xi, signed by academics and foreign diplomats

Clearly the West is on a hunt to discredit the Peoples Republic of China. Its successes in every field of endeavour from technology to business and trade, science and medicine, not to mention spreading goodwill among other nations of the world, in particular its neighbours around the South China Sea has resulted in the United States and Canada plotting to cast a dark shadow of suspicion over China's gains to portray it as a bully and an illegal outcast for its industriousness in forging business ties across the landscape of the world.

The latest assault that has roiled relations between China and the U.S. is the move to bring the chief financial officer of China's powerful, most successful technology giant, Meng Wanzhou of Huawei Technologies Co., to trial for deliberately misinforming banking interests with respect to Huawei's ownership of companies doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran, despite U.S. sanctions. That Canada was dupe enough to honour an American extradition request, and hold Meng Wanzhou in custody was clearly outrageous, but China is prepared to forgive as long as Canada forgets its international obligations.

In the meantime, three Canadians in China having fallen afoul of Chinese law which is not permissive of foreigners seeking to do harm to China's security, have been incarcerated as a tit-for-tat leverage, one of whom is slated to receive the death penalty for presumably being involved in China's illicit drug trade. China would be amenable to forgiving the trespasses of these Canadians should Canada see the light and stop persecuting an important figure in Chinese technology sector with close, very close ties to both the Communist government and its military, whose human rights have been tragically defiled.

Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Co., leaves her home while out on bail in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019. Ben Nelms/Bloomberg

Meng suffers the indignity of having to wear an ankle-strapped GPS monitor. She must observe a curfew. She has been ordered by a British Columbia court in Vancouver to remain in one of her luxury mansions in Vancouver. She has the freedom to consult with her lawyers, to venture out daily to shop for designer clothing, and she has the company of her family living with her in their Vancouver mansion while the second mansion is being 'renovated'. She is accompanied on her forays by security guards.

The two Canadians arrested on security concerns, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor on the other hand, languish in sparse prison cells, exposed to subtle torture meant to break prisoners' spirits. They cannot see lawyers to represent their interests, nor members of their families, but former diplomat Michael Kovrig has had Canadian consular advice, while Michael Spavor, an entrepreneur, has not. As for accused drug dealer, Robert Schellenberg, he waits on death row, an example to Canada of China's determination to observe Chinese 'law' to the letter while deploring Canadian law.

And at the same time, China is incensed that Canada may now prevaricate over using Huawei technology hardware to set up its new mobile networks, following the lead of the United States, Australia and several other countries that have all declined to have Huawei equipment used in their electronic infrastructure. Chinese Ambassador to Canada Lu Shaye has deplored the human rights abuses against an illustrious Chinese citizen and has warned that should Canada ban Huawei from 5G work in Canada, there would be "repercussions".

It is unfair and utterly infuriating that over 140 academics and former diplomats, five former Canadian ambassadors included, have signed a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping urging the release of the two Canadian detainees. Canada's outreach to its Western democratic collegial nations to garner sympathy and outrage against China's reasonable demand to return a Chinese citizen to China from the demoralizing and outrageous "racist" attack on her by U.S. authorities is yet another instance of 'white supremacy' in action.

And China won't stand for it. "Have they shown any concern or sympathy for Meng after she was illegally detained and deprived of freedom?", Ambassador Lu Shaye asked, as he acidly accused Canada of wallowing in "Western egotism".