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| Canadian and Chinese flags hang before a meeting between Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Dec. 5, 2017. EPA |
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| Trudeau speaks during a town hall meeting at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, Jan. 15. AP |
By Jung Min-ho
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| Charles Burton |
Following the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, CFO of the Chinese tech giant, in Vancouver on Dec. 1 at the request of U.S. authorities, a Chinese court sentenced a Canadian citizen to death for being involved in smuggling drugs ― a decision that brought criticism from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Meanwhile, several Canadians have been detained in China.
Adding fuel to the fire, China's ambassador to Canada warned on Jan. 17 that there would be repercussions if the Canadian government banned Huawei from supplying technology for the country's 5G network.
All this makes it politically impossible for the Trudeau government to allow the installation of Huawei's 5G equipment in Canada and it will also affect other Chinese interests in the country, Charles Burton, a China expert and a political science professor at Brock University in Ontario, told The Korea Times.
"A series of incidents has led to a massive drop in Canadian public support for engagement with China," he said. "Other Chinese interests, such as removal of restrictions on Chinese state enterprises' acquisition of Canadian energy and mineral resources, and removal of restrictions on exports to China of Canadian-developed high technology, will be affected as a result and it will undoubtedly lead to demands that Canada crack down on China's espionage operations in Canada."
His comment comes as Canadian government officials study the security implications of 5G networks, the latest generation of cellular mobile communications.
So far, the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Japan have barred Huawei from taking part in their 5G infrastructure build-outs amid concerns of its links with China's government. More countries, including Germany, are considering the move.
Burton said the Chinese government's biggest fear about Meng's arrest could be her inside knowledge of Huawei and its relationship with leaders of the ruling Communist Party.
"As Meng could face life imprisonment in the United States, she might be induced to give U.S. authorities information on the company's relationship with the Chinese security and intelligence apparatus," he said. "This would be very damaging to China's international strategy."
Meng, the daughter of Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei, is now under house arrest in Vancouver, on bail pending an extradition hearing to the United States on charges of violating sanctions against Iran. The deadline for U.S. authorities to file an extradition request is Jan. 30.
