Huawei Canada Exec Won’t Condemn Detention of Two Michaels, Defends Meng Wanzhou

Huawei Canada won’t specifically condemn the detention of the two Michaels and called Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou innocent.

According to a new report from Global News, Huawei Canada’s vice-president of government relations wouldn’t condemn China’s detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, despite insisting that the Chinese company’s CFO Meng Wanzhou has “done nothing wrong.”

In a new interview with The West Block‘s Mercedes Stephenson, the Huawei Canada exec — Morgan Elliott — made repeated unclear and contradictory statements about the company, and avoided a number of requests to for the company to specifically condemn the detention of the two Michaels.

Elliott was asked how the Chinese company has been received by the new Biden administration in the US, responding that Huawei has seen a “measured approach” so far.

“I think we’re all frustrated with the lack of communications between the government, between governments on a number of issues,” he said. “The company has never done anything wrong. We’ve been transparent in all our interactions. Meng Wanzhou has done nothing wrong.”

“I’m going to stop you there because I think that’s interesting,” Stephenson said. “Your company’s position is — and as the Canadian version of Huawei — is that Meng Wanzhou has done nothing wrong. So you don’t think that the RCMP arrest of her was legitimate?”

“The company has done nothing wrong, Meng Wanzhou has done nothing wrong,” Elliott said, adding that the previous US administration used “companies and, unfortunately, people as political pawns.”

“Mr. Ren (Zhengfei, Meng’s father and Huawei’s CEO), like any father, wants his daughter home, just as the families of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor want their family,” Elliott said.

“This is a political situation that requires a political discussion and political solution.”

Elliott went on to defend Huawei on a number of points, including the Meng Wanzhou case, the two Micahels, and concerns raised last week by CSIS director David Vigneault about the forced detention of Uygurs in China.

Read the entire article over at Global News.

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