The CFO, and daughter of the founder, of Huawei Technologies, whose equipment has raised security concerns in the U.S. government, was arrested in Canada December 1 and is awaiting extradition to the United States.
While the U.S. has not given a reason for Meng Wanzhou’s arrest, early reports speculate that it may have more to do with potential violations of sanctions against Iran.
"The detention without giving any reason violates a person's human rights," the BBC quoted a spokesperson from the Chinese foreign ministry as saying. "We have made solemn representations to Canada and the U.S., demanding that both parties immediately clarify the reasons for the detention, and immediately release the detainee to protect the person's legal rights."
In November, the U.S. government reportedly asked its allies to not use equipment from Huawei. The intelligence community had grown increasingly concerned over the security of Huawei products, prompting the government to ask ISPs and telecom companies in other countries, particularly those where the U.S. has military bases, to spurn them.
The U.S. intelligence community and some members of Congress have long feared that products from Huawei and Chinese firm ZTE Corporation could be leveraged by the Chinese government to spy on American targets.
