China opposes all hegemonic behaviors and is not afraid of any coercion, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday in reference to the case of Meng Wanzhou.
Wang made the remark during a phone conversation with Venezuela's Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia, who expressed support for China's position on Meng's case, as the two shared views on fighting against hegemony and bullying.
"China has always opposed all hegemonic behaviors and is not afraid of any coercion. The Chinese government has never compromised on its unwavering position of safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of its citizens," Wang said.
The Chinese diplomat said arbitrary detention of foreign citizens for political purposes under various pretexts is an outright coercive bullying and a blatant challenge to international rules and human conscience.
Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Chinese company Huawei, returned to China on Saturday following nearly three years of detention in Canada after she was arrested in December 2018 in Canada at the request of the U.S.
China has said Meng's case is an incident of political persecution against a Chinese citizen, an act designed to hobble Chinese high-tech companies.
Meng's return was the victory of the Chinese people and victory of justice, Hua Chunying, a spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry, told a daily press briefing on Monday.
"This fully proves once again that a strong China under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China will always be the strong backing of every Chinese citizen and that the CPC and the Chinese government have the firm will and strong ability to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens and Chinese companies, as well as the interests and dignity of the Party and the country," Hua said.
"No force can hold back China's development," she said.
Read more:
Chart of the Day: Timeline of Huawei's chief financial officer's extradition case
Tech, politics and ambition: How Huawei's Meng Wanzhou stepped into a perfect storm between China and U.S.
(Cover: Meng Wanzhou waves at a cheering crowd after arriving at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, September 25, 2021. /CFP)