Canada arrests Huawei's global chief financial officer in Vancouver

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: Globe and Mail

Canada has arrested the chief financial officer of China’s Huawei Technologies who is facing extradition to the United States on suspicion she violated U.S. trade sanctions against Iran.

Wanzhou Meng, who is also the deputy chair of Huawei’s board and the daughter of company founder Ren Zhengfei, was arrested in Vancouver at the request of U.S. authorities.

“Wanzhou Meng was arrested in Vancouver on December 1. She is sought for extradition by the United States, and a bail hearing has been set for Friday,” Justice department spokesperson Ian McLeod said in a statement to The Globe and Mail. “As there is a publication ban in effect, we cannot provide any further detail at this time. The ban was sought by Ms. Meng.

A Canadian source with knowledge of the arrest said U.S. law enforcement authorities are alleging that Ms. Meng tried to evade the U.S. trade embargo against Iran but provided no further details..

Read more: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-canada-has-arrested-huaweis-global-chief-financial-officer-in/

---

That's pretty aggressive - a top officer in the company, and daughter of the founder.

[still_one]

1. "aggressive" is an understatement. On what authority do they have to arrest someone for violating

U.S. sanctions on Iran? I can see the U.S. banning Huawei products from being sold in the U.S., but this seems a large over-reach to me

[mpcamb]

8. I thought it interesting that they arrested a woman.

trump connection?
He likes to beat up on women.

[still_one]

9. I am also a little surprised and disappointed that Canada would abide by this U.S. request

[metalbot]

13. Why?

As a general rule, I would absolutely expect Canada (or any Western European country) to grant a request to arrest someone indicted on federal charges in the US.

I'm definitely surprised that the US would ask, but that's a different issue.

[still_one]

14. What authority do they have to arrest a CFO for violating U.S. imposed sanctions on Iran? At least

that is what was reported yesterday as the reason. If a company or country violates these U.S. sanctions on Iran, and the U.S. doesn't like it, then you take punitive actions against the company or the country, not a CFO.

Second, supposedly trump was NOT even aware of this before his meeting with Xi, but Bolton supposedly knew about it before the G20, and didn't tell trump. Whether there is validity in that report I don't know, but if Bolton or the DOJ knew about it before his trip, and he wasn't informed of that, some people need to be shown the exit sign.

[cstanleytech]

15. Per the article

"Since at least 2016, U.S. authorities have been reviewing Huawei’s alleged shipping of U.S.-origin products to Iran and other countries in violation of U.S. export and sanctions laws."
I assume if the products had an origin other than the US that it would not have been a violation of US law however if its true that the products originated inside the US it then becomes a violation of US law and anyone involved in it including this women could be considered to have been breaking it.

[still_one]

16. I don't agree. You don't arrest a CFO for this. You ban the use of any Huawei's technology by

American companies, or the U.S. government

To me this is a dangerous action, and puts American corporate executives working in China at risk.


The fact that the DOJ and/or Bolton knew about this before the G20, and did not inform Trump, makes me very skeptical about this entire situation, especially with Whittaker and Bolton, (of WMD fame) involved

[pecosbob]

2. That company seems to set off a lot of people's warning bells

There's been a number of articles over the years postulating Huaweis involvement in spying for the Chinese government.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Yeah, only today we had "BT removing Huawei equipment from parts of 4G network"

BT has confirmed it is removing Huawei equipment from key areas of its 4G network as concerns are raised about the Chinese firm’s presence in critical telecoms infrastructure.

Governments in the US, New Zealand and Australia have already moved to block the use of Huawei’s equipment as part of the future rollout of 5G networks. Earlier this week the head of MI6 also suggested the UK needed to decide if it was “comfortable” with Chinese ownership of the technology being used.

In a statement, the UK telecoms group has confirmed it is in the process of removing Huawei equipment from the key parts of its 3G and 4G networks to meet an existing internal policy not to have the Chinese firm at the centre of its infrastructure.

“In 2016, following the acquisition of EE, we began a process to remove Huawei equipment from the core of our 3G and 4G mobile networks, as part of network architecture principles in place since 2006,” BT said. “We’re applying these same principles to our current RFP (request for proposal) for 5G core infrastructure. As a result, Huawei have not been included in vendor selection for our 5G core. Huawei remains an important equipment provider outside the core network and a valued innovation partner.”

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/dec/05/bt-removing-huawei-equipment-from-parts-of-4g-network

My household hub, provided by my ISP, is made by Huawei.

[pecosbob]

4. There's also some weird conspiracy rumblings about undersea connections and internet access

[Blue_Tires]

5. Not much, but it's a start....

[nitpicker]

6. Link to DW

https://www.dw.com/en/chinas-huawei-finance-chief-arrested-in-canada-faces-extradition-to-us/a-46606693

[nitpicker]

7. And from The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/dec/05/meng-wanzhou-huawei-cfo-arrested-vancouver

China demands release of Huawei executive arrested in Canada

China has demanded the immediate release of a senior Huawei telecoms executive whose arrest is threatening to develop into a major diplomatic incident.

Beijing is calling for both Ottawa and Washington to clarify their reasons for the detention of Meng Wanzhou the Chinese company’s global chief financial officer, who was arrested in Vancouver on Saturday and faces extradition to the US. Canada confirmed her detention on Wednesday night.

The Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Thursday that Beijing had separately called on the US and Canada to immediately clarify the reasons for the detention and “immediately release the detained person”.

The controversy threatens to drive a further wedge between the US and China.
(snip)

[Eugene]

10. Top Huawei executive arrested on U.S. request, clouding China trade truce

Source: Reuters

BUSINESS NEWS DECEMBER 5, 2018 / 5:27 PM / UPDATED 26 MINUTES AGO

Top Huawei executive arrested on U.S. request, clouding China trade truce

Julie Gordon, Christian Shepherd
7 MIN READ

VANCOUVER/BEIJING (Reuters) - The daughter of Huawei’s founder, a top executive at the Chinese technology giant, was arrested in Canada and faces extradition to the United States, roiling global stock markets as it threatened to inflame Sino-U.S. trade tensions afresh.

The shock arrest of Meng Wanzhou, 46, who is Huawei Technologies Co Ltd’s chief financial officer, raises fresh doubts over a 90-day truce on trade struck between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping on Saturday - the day she was detained.

Her arrest, revealed late on Wednesday by Canadian authorities, is related to U.S. sanctions, a person familiar with the matter said. Reuters was unable to determine the precise nature of the possible violations.

Sources told Reuters in April that U.S. authorities have been investigating Huawei, the world’s largest telecoms equipment maker, since at least 2016 for allegedly shipping U.S.-origin products to Iran and other countries in violation of U.S. export and sanctions laws.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-huawei/top-huawei-executive-arrested-on-u-s-request-clouding-china-trade-truce-idUSKBN1O42S1

[Eugene]

11. Arrest Shakes Huawei as Global Skepticism of Its Business Grows

Source: New York Times

Arrest Shakes Huawei as Global Skepticism of Its Business Grows

By Raymond Zhong and Li Yuan
Dec. 6, 2018

It is one of China’s proudest corporate success stories, a colossus in cutting-edge technology that elbowed out Western rivals to become the biggest supplier of the hardware that connects our modern world.

Now, all around the globe, the walls are going up for Huawei.

The United States, which for years has considered the Chinese telecommunications giant a security threat, aimed a straight shot at the company’s leadership when it secured the arrest, in Canada, of Huawei’s chief financial officer.

But lately, Huawei’s setbacks have come on multiple fronts, from New Zealand and Australia to Britain and Canada. China sees the company as a pivotal driver of its ambitions for global technological leadership. Increasingly, much of the rest of the world sees it as a potential conduit for espionage and sabotage.

-snip-

But lately, Huawei’s setbacks have come on multiple fronts, from New Zealand and Australia to Britain and Canada. China sees the company as a pivotal driver of its ambitions for global technological leadership. Increasingly, much of the rest of the world sees it as a potential conduit for espionage and sabotage.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/06/technology/huawei-arrest-meng-wanzhou.html

[Eugene]

12. U.S. probe of China's Huawei includes bank fraud accusations: sources

Source: Reuters

BUSINESS NEWS DECEMBER 6, 2018 / 1:41 PM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO

Exclusive: U.S. probe of China's Huawei includes bank fraud accusations: sources

Karen Freifeld
5 MIN READ

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd’s chief financial officer was arrested as part of a U.S. investigation of an alleged scheme to use the global banking system to evade U.S. sanctions against Iran, according to people familiar with the probe.

The United States has been looking since at least 2016 into whether Huawei Technologies Ltd violated U.S. sanctions against Iran, Reuters reported in April. More recently, the probe has included the company’s use of HSBC Holdings Plc to make illegal transactions involving Iran, the people said.

Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, daughter of the company’s founder, Ren Zhengfei, was arrested in Canada and faces extradition to the United States. The news roiled global stock markets on fears the move could escalate the Sino-U.S. trade dispute.

In 2012, HSBC paid $1.92 billion and entered a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s office in Brooklyn for violating U.S. sanctions and money-laundering laws.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-huawei-tech-exclusive/exclusive-u-s-probe-of-chinas-huawei-includes-bank-fraud-accusations-sources-idUSKBN1O528D