MAY FACES VOTE OF NO-CONFIDENCE

China says arrest of executive was mistake, welcomes release efforts

BRITISH Prime Minister Theresa May faced a vote of no-confidence yesterday as turmoil over her Brexit strategy threw the country further into political crisis.

CHINA’S Foreign Ministry said yesterday that Canada’s arrest of Meng Wanzhou, a top executive with Chinese tech giant Huawei, was a mistake from the start, and welcomed any efforts to move the case towards a correct resolution.

Ministry spokesman Lu Kang made the comment at a press briefing after US President Donald Trump said he would intervene with the US Justice Department in the case if it would help secure a trade deal with China.

The chief financial officer of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei smiled and wiped tears from her eyes on Tuesday as a Canadian court granted her bail following a gruelling three-day hearing in Vancouver.

Meng, pictured, who is also the daughter of company founder Ren Zhengfei, was ordered to post a $10 million Canadian (R106m) bail, including a cash deposit of $7m.

She will also have to surrender her passports and abide by more than a dozen conditions imposed by the court.

These include respecting a curfew, having to wear a GPS tracking device at all times, and being monitored roundthe-clock by a security team that she has to pay for herself.

Meng, who was arrested in Vancouver earlier this month at the request of US authorities, will be allowed to move only within a strictly defined area of the city.

The 46-year-old could face extradition to the US over allegations that she was involved in violating sanctions on Iran, with each charge carrying a maximum sentence of 30 years.

Justice William Ehrcke said the US government had 60 days to present a formal extradition request from the moment of Meng’s arrest at Vancouver airport on December 1.

If no extradition request is received by January 8, Meng must be freed, Ehrcke said.

Meng’s next court appearance is set for February 6.

Huawei expressed hope that a timely resolution would be found in the case against Meng.

“We have every confidence that the Canadian and US legal systems will reach a just conclusion in the following proceedings,” a Huawei spokesperson said.

Meng’s husband, Liu Xiaozong, had told the court he was ready to move to Canada and post a $15m Canadian bail and act as a community surety to make sure she abided by all the conditions.

Meng’s arrest, which took place on the same day that Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met after the G20 summit in Buenos Aires to hammer out a 90-day truce in their trade war, has escalated tensions between Beijing, Ottawa and Washington. |