Trump uses Huawei as leverage in trade talks

US president says he will intervene in efforts to extradite executive if it helped him trade deal with China

President Donald Trump said he would intervene in US efforts to extradite Huawei Technologies Co executive Meng Wanzhou if it helped him win a trade deal with China.

“If I think it’s good for what will be certainly the largest trade deal ever made, which is a very important thing — what’s good for national security — I would certainly intervene, if I thought it was necessary,” Trump said on Tuesday.

Meng was arrested earlier this month at the request of US authorities, who allege she conspired to defraud banks to unwittingly violate US sanctions by clearing transactions linked to Iran. On Tuesday, she was granted a $7.5 million (Dh27.55 million) bail by a Canadian court, allowing her to return to her Vancouver home as extradition proceedings continue.

“I’m in Vancouver, back by my family’s side,” Meng said on WeChat, attaching a wellknown Huawei ad that depicts the hidden travails of a ballerina. Huawei verified that the CFO posted the message.

The arrest has threatened to disrupt US-Chinese relations even as the two nations’ leaders seek to negotiate a trade deal that would scale back a series of tariffs that have been implemented this year.

Trump said the White House was in communication with the Justice Department about the case, along with Chinese officials. Asked if he had spoken with President Xi Jinping about the matter, he said: “They have not called me yet. They are talking to my people.”

While the Justice Department would lead any extradition effort, Trump could bring considerable pressure on Acting Attorney-General Matthew Whitaker to drop efforts to bring Meng to the US.

Whitaker and other top Justice officials who would lead an extradition effort serve at the pleasure of the president, who has shown he’s willing to oust subordinates — including AttorneyGeneral Jeff Sessions. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang reacted positively to Trump’s remarks, while continuing to call for Meng to be released immediately.