Chinese media condemns Huawei executive's arrest by the US
Chinese state-run media today condemned the arrest of a top executive of telecom giant Huawei in Canada on a US extradition request as a "despicable rogue's approach" to contain China's high-tech ambitions. The arrest of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's Chief Financial Officer, has angered the Chinese government and raised concerns that it could disrupt a trade war truce between the world's two biggest economies.
US resorting to 'despicable rogue action', says Global Times
"The Chinese government should seriously mull over the US tendency to abuse legal procedures to suppress China's high-tech enterprises," said the nationalist tabloid Global Times in an editorial. "Obviously, Washington is resorting to a despicable rogue's approach as it cannot stop Huawei's 5G advance in the market," it said. The China Daily warned that "containing Huawei's expansion is detrimental to China-US ties".
US trying its best to contain Huawei's expansion: Global Times
The daily further said that the US authorities have not disclosed the charges Meng faces following a publication ban sought by her. It added, "One thing that is undoubtedly true and proven is the US is trying to do whatever it can to contain Huawei's expansion in the world simply because the company is the point man for China's competitive technology companies."
China wants to transform itself into global tech leader
Though China's technology sector is still reliant on certain US exports like microchips, the former wants to transform the country into a global tech leader, with a technological prowess rivaling the United States, in a plan dubbed "Made in China 2025".
Australia, New Zealand, Britain rejected Huawei's services over security concerns
Huawei is one of the world's largest telecommunications equipment providers. Its products are used by carriers globally. But its US business has been tightly constrained by worries it could undermine American competitors and that its cellphones and networking equipment, used widely in other countries, could provide Beijing with avenues for espionage. Australia, New Zealand, and Britain have also rejected Huawei's services over security concerns.
Chinese netizens slam Meng's arrest on Weibo
Meanwhile, Chinese netizens have criticized Meng's arrest on Weibo, China's Twitter-like platform, where online trolls sometimes deliberately incite nationalist fervor or pro-government stances. Some users viewed the incident as part of the trade war and a broader conspiracy to keep down China's technological development.
'Detention of Meng appears to be a game of politics'
"One of the most important reasons why the US started the trade war was to attack China's technology sector and its 'Made in China 2025' plan," wrote one Weibo user. Another said the goal is to keep China stuck in "low-end industries and force China into the middle-income trap." The detention of Meng appears to be a "game of politics," wrote another user.
China's ZTE also collapsed in the US this year
The Huawei executive's arrest follows a United States probe into the company's alleged violations of Iran sanctions. Earlier this year, another Chinese tech firm ZTE Corporation, headquartered in Shenzhen, nearly collapsed after the US banned American companies from selling crucial hardware and software components to it for seven years, though the ban was lifted after it agreed to pay a $1 billion fine.
