BEIJING — China’s foreign minister warned Tuesday against the bullying ofany Chinese citizen, amid a diplomatic fracas over the arrest of a Huaweiexecutive on a US warrant in Canada.
Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of telecommunications behemothHuawei, was on December 1 arrested in Vancouver on US fraud charges relatedto sanctions-breaking dealings with Iran, infuriating China.
“The safety and security of Chinese compatriots are our priority, Chinawill never sit idly by and ignore any bullying that violates the legitimaterights and interests of Chinese citizens,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi said ina speech in Beijing, without directly referring to the Huawei case.
“We will fully safeguard the legitimate rights of Chinese citizens andreturn fairness and justice to the world,” he said at the opening of adiplomatic symposium.
The detention has raised tensions following a truce in the US-China tradewar, with Beijing summoning both the Canadian and US ambassadors over theweekend.
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Meng, who faces a possible extradition to the United States, is seeking herrelease on bail from a court in Vancouver.
China has accused Canada of treating Meng in an “inhumane” manner, citingreports in Chinese state-run media alleging she was not given adequatemedical care.
