Editor's note: Tom Fowdy is a UK-based political analyst. The article reflects the author's views, and not necessarily those of CGTN.
The arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Canada on behalf of the United States is the newest installment in what is little more than an aggressive campaign against the Shenzhen based company by the Trump administration. Meng, arrested whilst in transit through America's northern neighbor, is alleged to have violated what are strictly unilateral sanctions against Iran imposed by Washington. The arrest comes despite the fact that Wanzhou is not an American citizen, resident or that of Canada either. Neither country's foreign ministry have offered an explanation for the move.
However, any justification Washington comes out with for engineering this act should not be taken seriously. The move is without question, politically motivated. China is in no way bound to following U.S unilateral stipulations that are not recognized by the international community. Trump simply wants to derail Huawei's global brand as part of his economic assault.
The first thing that should be emphasized is that U.S. Iran sanctions are dubious and illegitimate. Whilst the Trump administration wants to force Iran to renegotiate, nevertheless measures against the country are also being used by Washington as leverage to unilaterally force concessions on trade from others.
It is very much in bad faith. The administration had effectively side-lined a multilateral treaty to impose measures on a country based on pure misinformation and deception. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed in 2015 saw Iran agree to end its nuclear program and uranium enrichment.
Despite the fact that international nuclear experts have verified that Tehran is keeping its part of the deal, the Trump administration vilified this treaty based on completely dishonest claims that it was not. It since then has imposed sanctions that are not recognized by the international community, not even by America's allies (which is unusual why Canada has decided to agree to this).
Nevertheless, the President forces other countries to follow them in an aggressive manner, threatening tariffs and other measures on those who do not. This has repeatedly included threats to Europe, leading most major corporations and investors to buckle to pressure, regardless of their government's preferences.
This leads us to China. First, in tandem to what is happening with Iran, Trump is waging a defamatory campaign against Huawei. The administration is putting pressure on countries throughout the world to cut ties with the Telecom service provider and end its participation in 5G networks, as well as to purposefully damage its global reputation.
A Huawei Technologies Co. store in Beijing on December 6, 2018. /VCG Photo
To do this, it has peddled lies that the company will use its infrastructure for surveillance purposes, something that has never been substantiated by evidence in any setting; and also, regardless to the fact western companies have partnered with them for years. The tactic plays upon stereotypes of authoritarianism which provokes western fears, the media tends not to critique or point out the obvious political opportunism behind such an act.
Thus, as the United States and China have opened a 90-day period of trade talks, the issues of Huawei and Iran have conveniently crossed. The Trump administration saw a perfect opportunity to de-facto kidnap one of the company's executives for leverage in these negotiations. What is the grand objective? To force China's compliance with unilateral sanctions against Iran as an additional concession and thus knock Huawei out of yet another country.
What is ultimately disappointing is the lack of condemnation from American “analysts” and so-called “China watchers” about this. It's political hostage-taking by the Trump administration on the whim of unilateral measures, built upon misinformation and ultimately unrecognized by the international community. It's U.S. long arm jurisdiction at its worst. This whole arrest is illegitimate, it is a cynical political stunt conducted at a sensitive time which truly deserves uttermost criticism. If America is to be taken at its word, then this is a gross violation of everything that country claims it stands for.
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