Huawei CFO released on bail
China responds to arrest by detaining ex-diplomat
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — A Canadian court granted bail Tuesday to a top Chinese executive arrested at the United States’ request in a case that has set off a diplomatic furor among the three countries and complicated high-stakes U.S.-China trade talks.
Hours before the bail hearing in Vancouver, China detained a former Canadian diplomat in Beijing in apparent retaliation for the Dec. 1 arrest of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei and daughter of the company’s founder.
After three days of hearings, a British Columbia justice granted bail of $7.5 million to Meng, but required her to wear an ankle bracelet, surrender her passports and confine herself to one of her two Vancouver homes from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
The decision was met with applause in the courtroom, where members of Vancouver’s Chinese community had turned out to show support for Meng.
Michael Kovrig, who previously worked as a diplomat in Beijing, Hong Kong and the United Nations, was taken into custody Monday night during one of his regular visits to Beijing, according to a spokesman for International Crisis Group, where Kovrig now works as North East Asia adviser based in Hong Kong.
Canada had been bracing for retaliation. The Canadian province of British Columbia canceled a trade mission to China amid fears China could detain Canadians to put pressure on Ottawa over Meng’s detention.