Worlds Apart

"Right now, time seems to pass slowly. It is so slow that I have enough time to read a book from cover to cover."
"I can take the time to discuss minutiae with my colleagues or to carefully complete an oil painting. [I have the] luxury of taking my time and enjoying my surroundings."
Meng Wanzhou, CFO, Huawei Technologies

Huawei Chief Financial Officer, Meng Wanzhou, leaves her Vancouver home to appear in British Columbia Supreme Court, in Vancouver, on Oct. 1, 2019. (AFP/Getty Images)

"[I hope the] hardship and suffering] my daughter is going through proves to be] good for her growth."
"Under the grand backdrop of the Sino-U.S. trade war, she is like a small ant caught between the collision of two giant powers."
Ken Zhengfei, Huawei founder, CEO

Ken Zhengfei, father of Weng Wanzhou, speaks of his daughter's suffering, held by Canadian authorities on a warrant through an extradition treaty between Canada and the United States. She is wanted in the U.S. to speak to charges laid by the U.S. Department of Justice that include conspiracy, fraud and obstruction. Primarily the charge that Huawei and Ms.Meng conspired to misrepresent ownership of Skycom to circumvent U.S. sanctions against Iran.

For her part, Ms.Meng wrote of feelings of helplessness, torment and struggle at her arrest in Canada a year earlier. However, forced by circumstances and bail conditions to remain in Vancouver, she suffered within the confines of one of the two luxury mansions she owns in Vancouver. Where she is free to leave her home for appointments, or shopping expeditions garbed in the latest most expensive fashions, sporting an ankle bracelet, accompanied by security.

 Meng Wanzhou leaving her Vancouver home Sept. 30, 2019. (AFP/Getty Images)

Following her arrest in Canada, two Canadians, entrepreneur Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig, both in China on business, were arrested on spurious charges of undermining the national security of China. Their crime of 'espionage' was in fact a vastly delayed charge, long after they had been imprisoned. Where they have been lengthily and frequently interrogated, refused the services of lawyers, unable to see family members, and allowed Canadian consular service but rarely.

China has warned Canada repeatedly that both these men will not be released until Canadian sees the error of its ways and releases Ms.Meng who has been injudiciously charged, her human rights abridged, her country insulted because of Canada's 'mistake'. A 'mistake' that has cost Canada dearly not only in the arrest of two hapless victims of Beijing's rage, but the cancellation of trade talks and a costly bar in the importation to China of Canadian grain products, pork, beef and Canola.

Michael Kovrig (left) and Michael Spavor,  THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP

The People's Republic of China has furthermore warned Canada that should it choose not to include Huawei Technologies in its upgrade to 5G technologies there will be hell to pay. Huawei infamously has close links to the Chinese Communist Party, its founder was himself once part of Chinese military intelligence, and there is the guaranteed prospect of cyber surveillance should Huawei be given the inroads it seeks would endanger Canada's security.

Canada's Intelligence alliance in the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing group including the U.S. Australia, Britain and New Zealand, none of which plan to allow Huawei entry to communications upgrades would be forfeit should Canada accede to China's demand. Beijing's long tentacles have already made political, academic, social and military inroads into Canada through its infiltration network of Chinese-Canadian supporters, nicely balanced by those Chinese-Canadians for whom democracy, not the CCP is the order of their day.

The current Liberal-led government of Canada had aspired to sign a free trade deal with China. The opportunities envisaged to do business and expand entry to the gigantic China marketplace was simply too alluring to dwell on Beijing's agenda of human rights abuses, its occupation of Tibet, its threats to its neighbours of disputed territories on land and sea, its persecution of minorities, Christian and Muslim. All to be overlooked for the greater aspiration of trade and investment.

In this Nov. 20, photo, people stand outside of a Huawei store at a shopping mall in Beijing. The founder of Huawei says the Chinese tech giant is moving its U.S. research center to Canada due to American restrictions on its activities. (Mark Schiefelbein/The Associated Press)

Huawei opening a manufacturing branch plant in Canada? To give employment to Canadian workers? How subtle can pressure get? Intimidation by gift-giving? All other avenues appear to have fizzled. Did Beijing lean on Huawei CEO Ken Zhengfei to give this move a try, to melt Canada's heart by China's sincere wish to do business with Canada to the extent of investing in a manufacturing plant for technology it could not under these new circumstances possibly apurn? To persuade Ottawa to relent and transfer Ms.Meng to China and open its loving arms to Kovrig and Spavor?

“It [considering a prisoner exchange to placate Beijing] effectively normalizes hostage-taking by China, something that either makes it impossible to arrest Chinese citizens, or means that we need to be even more clear in advising travelling Canadians about the risk of becoming a hostage in [China]." "We could expect China to build on its success with hostage diplomacy, possibly using it to pressure Canada to hand over Uyghurs and Tibetans or dissident writers and scholars who have sought refuge in our country."
David Mulroney, a former Canadian ambassador to China

"[A prisoner-exchange would set a] very dangerous precedent [for future extradition cases in Canada involving citizens of the People’s Republic of China, or PRC]."

"It would also give tacit consent to the Chinese regime’s gross violations of the international norms of diplomacy and trade, and embolden the PRC government to subject Canada to more coercive outrages in future."

"Moreover, such a prisoner exchange would be very badly received by the U.S. authorities and in addition damage Canada’s credibility with the allies who have been supporting us in seeking the just release of Kovrig and Spavor."

Charles Burton, China expert, senior fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute