Kidnapping of Meng due to US worries that it is in decline

Editor’s note: The detention of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s chief financial officer, by Canada at the behest of the United States is a political kidnap, comments Shen Yi, a researcher of politics at Shanghai-based Fudan University, in a post published by Guancha.cn. Excerpts:

Obviously, Washington intended to use Meng as a weight to gain an upper hand in the 90-day trade negotiations with China.

Facing a rising China, the anxiety of Washington is understandable. Otherwise, it would not have risked everyone’s condemnation to ask Canada to hold Meng for ransom, a dirty trick.

If the plot of Meng’s case becomes a conventional practice, large numbers of entrepreneurs around the world face the threat of losing their freedom because of unilateral long-arm law enforcement.

The US is abusing its power. The country takes it for granted that all its illnesses can be cured by coercing others to take the medicines it prescribes. This trend has become increasingly evident since the presidential election in 2016.

Beijing has made the sensible decision of practicing restraint so far, treating the case as a separate one from the ongoing trade frictions. And Huawei’s calm and concise reaction also passes the buck to the US side.

The relative decline of the US’ power prompted it to act hysterically under the influence of domestic politics. The growing political decay has spread serious out-of-control behavior, of which Meng’s abduction is just the latest embodiment.

How to deal with the irrational and headstrong US is a test that China cannot steer clear of in the process of its rise.