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  • A top figure in Huawei was arrested in Canada.

  • Now the Chinese government is threatening:

  • Release her, or else.”

  • And Canada says, “Or else, what...eh?”

  • Welcome back to China Uncensored.

  • I'm Chris Chappell.

  • This is Meng Wanzhou.

  • She's the Chief Financial Officer

  • of China's biggest private company, Huawei.

  • But she made a big mistake:

  • Going to Canada.

  • See, Meng was at the Vancouver airport on December 1st,

  • changing flights, when Canadian authorities arrested her.

  • She's suspected of orchestrating a scheme by Huawei

  • to use the global banking system

  • to evade U.S. sanctions on Iran.

  • And now she's stuck in a Vancouver-area prison

  • called the Alouette Correctional Facility Center for Women.

  • The Alouette is a dangerous place.

  • First they pluck the feathers off your head,

  • then your beak, then your neck...

  • And that was a very obscure joke

  • for all 3 of you who speak French.

  • Anyway, Meng's arrest in Canada ought to be a lesson:

  • She should have spent her winter visiting

  • a tropical island nation like Vanuatu.

  • Not so much for the warm weather

  • but because they don't have an extradition treaty with the US.

  • Meng was arrested in Canada at the request of US authorities.

  • The US accuses her of misleading multinational banks

  • about Huawei's control of a company operating in Iran,

  • putting the banks at risk of violating US sanctions

  • and potentially incurring severe penalties.

  • If extradited to the US and convicted here,

  • she could face up to 30 years in prison.

  • But even in her temporary Canadian jail,

  • she's been badly abused.

  • Don't take it from me.

  • Take it from my favorite Chinese state-run media The Global Times.

  • They say her human rights are being violated.

  • They write that,

  • She has been subjected to rude and degrading treatment.”

  • For example,

  • being put in handcuffs and even ankle braces.

  • I agree.

  • How dare Canada treat her like a common Chinese dissident!

  • She's a VIP with connections!

  • Actually, that's not true.

  • A common Chinese dissident would have been beaten up

  • at least once or twice by now.

  • But the point is,

  • Meng is not only the CFO of Huawei.

  • She's also the daughter of Huawei's founder, Ren Zhengfei.

  • He's worth 3.2 billion dollars.

  • And he's a former officer of the People's Liberation Army.

  • That makes her not just an heiress to the Huawei empire,

  • but potentially a key figure in the Chinese Communist Party's

  • shady relationship with Huawei.

  • Huawei has faced accusations of conducting espionage

  • on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party,

  • and of undermining American security

  • by illegally using advanced US technology

  • to give the Chinese military an edge.

  • Richard Fisher, Senior Fellow

  • at the International Assessment and Strategy Center,

  • told The Epoch Times that Huawei

  • and another Chinese company ZTE are quote unquote

  • cat's paws for Chinese Communist Party domination.”

  • Now that should really give you pause.

  • The Chinese company ZTE is a competitor of Huawei.

  • And the US recently banned ZTE

  • from buying components from U.S. manufacturers.

  • It was punishment for illegally selling telecom equipment

  • containing American technology to Iran and North Korea.

  • And Huawei could soon face similar sanctions.

  • Because it's also under investigation

  • by the US Department of Justice

  • for violating Iran sanctions.

  • So it's little wonder that the Chinese Communist Party

  • has rushed to threaten Canada over Meng Wanzhou's arrest.

  • Here's my favorite Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson

  • and second-favorite Mortal Kombat character,

  • Lu Kang:

  • For Canada,

  • if they do not correctly handle this matter,

  • there will be serious consequences.”

  • Then things got weird.

  • You asked,

  • what kind of serious consequences would these be?

  • I can tell you in one sentence

  • it is totally up to Canada."

  • Totally up to Canada?”

  • Isn't that a bit like putting a convict

  • in charge of their own sentencing?

  • Your honor,

  • for all the grievous crimes I've committed,

  • I hereby sentence myself to...

  • total freedom and a six pack of beer!”

  • And can you really count on Canada for self-discipline?

  • I mean, it is the country that just legalized marijuana.

  • And its Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau,

  • is nicknamed theShiny Pony”.

  • Seriously.

  • He got that name in 2012

  • when he fought a Canadian senator

  • at a charity boxing match.

  • Justin Truuuuuuudeau!”

  • He's wearing liberal red, of course.

  • I call him the Shiny Pony.

  • He looks like he's in some sort of zen yoga trance.”

  • Which, let's face it,

  • was really a chance to show off his tattoo.

  • So can you really count on Canada's Prime Minister

  • to read between the lines of China's

  • it's totally up to youthreat?

  • Clearly, you can't.

  • Shiny Pony did not get the hint.

  • He told the press that he wasn't going to do

  • any political favors to get Ms. Meng out of jail.

  • “I can assure everyone that

  • we are a country of an independent judiciary

  • and the appropriate authorities took the decisions in this case

  • without any political involvement or interference,

  • as must be the case.”

  • This is something maybe Chinese authorities don't understand.

  • But Canadayes, Canada

  • does have rule of law.

  • The Prime Minister or Minister cannot phone the judge

  • and tell them to release the person,

  • so what's China demanding under our rule of law,

  • under our system,

  • is not a doable thing.

  • That being said,

  • China certainly has the means

  • to inflict pain on its relationship with Canada.”

  • So after all of the Chinese regime's confusing threats

  • that didn't sound like threats,

  • it finally took Party mouthpiece People's Daily to lay it on straight.

  • They directly warned Canada that

  • The only way to avoid paying a much heavier price

  • is for the Canadian side to correct this error.”

  • So what they're saying is...

  • Unless Canadian politicians break the law,

  • violate their extradition treaty with the US,

  • and release Meng,

  • there'll be hell to pay.

  • So how did Shiny Pony react to that?

  • As I said the appropriate authorities

  • took the decisions in this case.

  • We were advised by them with a few days notice

  • that this was in the works.

  • But of course there was no engagement

  • or involvement in the political level in this decision

  • because we respect the independence

  • of our judicial processes.”

  • Yeah, Canada is not letting her go.

  • And you know,

  • as much as I like to make fun of Canada and Justin Trudeau

  • and oh man, I do!—

  • in this case, I have to say...

  • TKO Justin Trudeau!

  • Justin Trudeau, you did it!

  • You're not the shiny pony, you're the stallion!”

  • Let's just hope he sticks to his...surprisingly big guns.

  • So what's happening with Meng Wanzhou's case now?

  • Well, in accordance with Canadian law,

  • she went through a hearing to determine

  • whether she should be released on bail

  • due to health concerns while her case is being decided.

  • The judge ended up granting her bail,

  • which means she won't have to stay in prison

  • as her case proceeds.

  • Meng's extradition case could last months or even years,

  • since under Canadian law,

  • she can appeal an extradition decision

  • all the way to the Canadian Supreme Court.

  • Meanwhile, I'm sure that there's no way that

  • the Chinese Communist Party could try to put

  • more political pressure on Canada to release Meng.

  • Like for example,

  • detaining a former Canadian diplomat in China.

  • Well, whaddya know.

  • So what do you think about China's threats

  • to punish Canada for not releasing Meng?

  • Leave your comments below.

  • And before you go,

  • it's time for me to answer a question

  • from one of you who supports China Uncensored

  • through the crowdfunding website Patreon.

  • WinniePooh asks,

  • Do you think conflict will still exist between the US and China

  • if god turns China into a democratic and wealthier country?

  • Or is it possible for a democratic country

  • to become the 2nd most powerful country

  • which can challenge the US?

  • Good question.

  • Firstly,

  • turning China into a democratic and wealthy country....

  • This is something Chinese people

  • have to take action on themselves.

  • And to do that,

  • they'll have to bring the Communist Party

  • and its worst henchmen to justice.

  • Because China can never have meaningful democracy

  • under a Party that sits above the rule of law.

  • If China does eventually become a country with democracy,

  • and rule of law, and wealth,

  • would we have a conflict?

  • Well, there might be disagreements.

  • It's normal to not see eye-to-eye

  • on every issue with every country

  • even our allies.

  • This is why each leader needs to continuously forge bonds,

  • and sometimes re-negotiate treaties.

  • But it's pretty rare for democracies

  • to go to war against other democracies.

  • So I think that once China ditches the Communist Party

  • and establishes rule of law,

  • it will be on its way to real prosperity,

  • and will potentially be a long-term ally of the US.

  • It's pretty clear that we're capable of being allies

  • with big countries like India,

  • wealthy countries like Japan,

  • and Chinese democracies like Taiwan.

  • Thanks for your question, WinniePooh.

  • Wait, you're not...

  • Couldn't be.

  • And for everyone else,

  • do you want help us

  • make more episodes of China Uncensored?

  • Please support our growth

  • by pledging a dollar or more per episode.

  • Go to Patreon.com/ChinaUncensored.

  • The link is below.

  • Once again, I'm Chris Chappell.

  • Thanks for watching China Uncensored.

  • You know, sometimes I feel like I could make an entire show

  • of just directly reading Chinese state-run media out loud.

  • For example, the recent People's Daily article.

  • To arrest someone without offering a clear reason

  • is an undisguised infringement upon

  • the human rights of that person.

  • The Canadian side,

  • even though there had not been a trial

  • and determination of guilt,

  • went entirely against the spirit of the law,

  • choosing to infer guilt

  • and placing the person in handcuffs and fetters.

  • To treat a Chinese citizen like a serious criminal,

  • to roughly trample their basic human rights,

  • and to dishonour their dignity,

  • how is this the method of a civilised country?

  • How can this not make people furious?”

  • Yes, how can a government that tramples

  • on the basic human rights of Chinese citizens

  • not make people furious.

  • Good question, People's Daily.

A top figure in Huawei was arrested in Canada.

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