Canada to hold extradition hearing

Canada will move ahead with an extradition hearing for Chinese technology executive Meng Wanzhou, paving the way for a legal battle that could pit Canada against China and complicate the relationship between both countries and the United States.

The decision, which was announced

Friday, means Canada’s Justice Department believes there is “sufficient evidence” to formally proceed. Meng will next appear in a Vancouver court on Wednesday to schedule the date of the hearing, the department said.

Meng, who is chief financial officer for China’s Huawei Technologies, was arrested at Vancouver’s airport on Dec. 1 on U.S. charges that she misled banks about the company’s business dealings in Iran.

China claims Meng’s arrest was political. Not long after she was arrested, two Canadians in China were arrested on vague security charges that are widely seen as retaliation. A Canadian convicted of drug smuggling was later resentenced to death in a hasty, one-day trial.

Canada counters that it is bound by an extradition treaty with the United States, stressing that the charges are a legal matter. A news release published Friday by Canada’s Justice Department opened with the line, “Canada is a country governed by the rule of law.”

“An extradition hearing is not a trial nor does it render a verdict of guilt or innocence,” the statement continued. “If a

person is ultimately extradited from Canada to face prosecution in another country, the individual will have a trial in that country.”

The U.S. role adds another layer of complexity. The standoff over Meng comes as President Donald Trump’s administration is engaged in highstakes trade negotiations with Beijing.

Trump has suggested that the United States could cut a deal with China — a suggestion that could ultimately play a role in Meng’s extradition case.

In a statement emailed to reporters on Friday, members of Meng’s defense team expressed “disappointment” that the hearings will go ahead despite the “political nature” of

the charges.

They also included a reference to Trump’s comments: “The President of the United States has repeatedly stated that he would interfere in Ms. Meng’s case if he thought it would assist the U.S. negotiations with China over a trade deal.”

In January, the U.S. Justice Department unsealed a 13-count indictment against Huawei, two affiliates and Meng, alleging bank and wire fraud. It also charged the company with violating U.S. sanctions on Iran.

Friday’s announcement from Canadian authorities means a deal is less likely and the United States will indeed seek to bring Meng stateside to face charges.

Eventually, that could bring the U.S. and China into direct conflict.

For now, China seems focused on pressuring Canada. In a statement, the Chinese Embassy in Canada called the extradition process “political persecution against a Chinese high-tech enterprise.”

It called on the Canadian side to refuse the extradition request — but made no mention of the U.S. or Trump.

Meng’s defense lawyers also said the U.S. charges don’t constitute a crime in Canada. Meng maintains her innocence and believes the U.S. prosecution and extradition constitute “an abuse of the processes of law,” they said. “Our client looks forward to having her rights vindicated in the judicial phase of the extradition process.”

China has called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to intervene. Trudeau has said he can’t do that, though his justice minister will ultimately sign off

on any extradition, after next week’s hearing. “Canada is a country governed by the rule of law,” the justice department statement said. Canada’s former ambassador to China, John McCallum, has said he thinks Meng has a strong case. Trudeau demanded, and got, his resignation shortly after.

For Meng, the daughter of Huawei’s billionaire founder Ren Zhengfei, the decision sets in motion a process that could drag on for months and possibly years. If history is any guide, the odds are high that she will be extradited in the end.

Meng