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The arrest of a senior Chinese technical official during a trip abroad raised fears that US leaders would be exposed to retaliation. Some experts advise them to review their travel plans.
On January 1, Canadian officials arrested Meng Wanzhou, vice president of finance Huawei and daughter of the founder of the giant mobile phone and technology, at the request of the United States at the time . Arriving at Vancouver Airport
Canada is one of more than 100 countries that have signed an extradition treaty with the United States.
Huawei claims to be aware of no infringement by Meng and baderts that the company complies with the laws and regulations of all the markets in which it operates.
Diplomats, international experts and lawyers in China and the United States argue that the detention could create new clashes in times of tension between the two countries and raised the possibility of retaliation by the United States. China.
"Do you want to be the person who puts this to the test?" Says James Lewis, a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
Instead of putting leaders on the target, China can opt for a different path. While the Trump administration was advocating the escalation of trade disputes, Beijing has been striving this year to portray itself as fairer, more rule-based, and more business-minded than the United States.
Geng Shuang, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Friday (7) that China still protects the legitimate rights and interests of foreigners in the country, according to law.
"I think that they absolutely must abide by Chinese laws and regulations."
In recent years, China has arrested and prosecuted leaders of other countries in high-profile cases involving the pharmaceutical, commodity, gambling and financial sectors.
In October, the Beijing authorities prevented a UBS executive from leaving the country, under circumstances that the United States
At the time, UBS had advised some of its leaders not to to go to China only if it was really necessary.
Following the case of Huawei, a senior executive of a large US technology company said it was premature to speculate on whether the company would change its travel regulations.
"It is really important that the people of the United States think four steps in advance of what they are doing, not just one piece at a time," he said. "If we see a world in which technology leaders are not only arrested, but their extradition to third countries is solicited, it will create uncertainty about the ability of business leaders to travel the world."
Huawei has a paper in the frictions between Washington and Beijing. The United States baderts that China uses the company and the equipment that it produces for the purpose of spying – accusation denied by Huawei.
The United States claimed that Meng lied to the banks about the relationship between the company and a subsidiary that did business with it. Iran
The lawyer who represented Meng at a possible bail hearing told the court that "there is no evidence" that the company involved, Skycom Tech, was part of Huawei during the period in question.
Julien Ku, a professor at the Hofstra University Law School, states that even though Meng's arrest was not seen as a policy, "the concern is that the China does not face this situation and is manipulating something that they invented last week to punish a leader there. "
Attacking a high-visibility target, as Apple says, would be a risk strategy. "It could really scare foreign companies, it would be dramatic but also expensive."
The US State Department issued a travel warning a few months ago urging Americans to be cautious when it comes to a business trip. they visit China, "because of the arbitrary application of local laws".
The Wall Street Journal, translated from English by Paulo Migliacci
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