Global Times sends open letter to Canadian ambassador Dominic Barton, demanding release of Meng Wanzhou

As August 26 marks 1,000 days since Huawei's Meng Wanzhou was detained in Canada, the Global Times wrote an open letter to Canadian Ambassador to China Dominic Barton, demanding Meng's immediate and unconditional release.

China's Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou arrives at the court in Vancouver, Canada, Aug. 18, 2021. Canada's British Columbia Supreme Court concluded the hearings of Meng Wanzhou's extradition case Wednesday afternoon, with a final decision expected to come later in October. (Photo by Liang Sen/Xinhua)

On December 1, 2018, at the behest of the US government, "your government illegally detained Meng, chief financial officer of the Chinese company Huawei Technologies, based on the accusation of so-called fraud imposed by the US," the letter said, noting that Canada later approved the extradition order of Meng to the US.

However, from the very beginning, the previous Trump administration was blatant to suppress Huawei Technologies by using the hand of Canada to detain Meng Wanzhou, knowing Canada was willing to be an accomplice. The ultimate motif for the US government is to crack down on Huawei and the company's 5G technology.

"Many people in Canada and from the international community are aware of that. There is enough evidence to show that the US distorted the facts to lay out a false case against Meng. They even presented falsified evidence in court," the letter said.

A marathon extradition hearing for Meng concluded in the British Columbia Supreme Court, Canada, on Wednesday, a ruling from the court is expected in the coming months.

In only 12 hours, more than one million netizens around the world have signed an open petition launched by the Global Times on Wednesday night in demanding the immediate release of Meng, showing the collective voice of the people.

"It was an ironic and rare when the so-called victim of this fraud case - HSBC - agreed to provide relevant materials to the court to help prove Meng's innocence," the letter said.

Even worse was when former US president Donald Trump, ignoring the so-called legal procedures in the US and Canada, blatantly took the case of Meng as a bargaining chip in a geopolitical game with China, the letter said.

As an accomplice in the case, the Canadian government should be held liable for aiding the US to persecute a Chinese citizen for political purposes, according to the letter.

"Therefore, as the 1,000 days approach after Meng was illegally detained in Canada, the Global Times has launched a campaign to invite netizens from China and the rest of the world to join in the appeal against the ugly acts of the Canadian government, which is acting as an accomplice of the US government to persecute a Chinese citizen, demanding the immediate and unconditional release of Meng," the letter said.