Meng Wanzhou (center), chief financial officer of Huawei, leaves British Columbia Supreme Court during a break from her extradition hearing, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Aug 4, 2021. (DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS VIA AP)
OTTAWA / BEIJING – Canada's British Columbia Supreme Court concluded the hearings of Chinese Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou's extradition case Wednesday afternoon, with a final decision expected to come later in October.
The ruling on the extradition now rests with the court's Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes, who reserved her decision on Wednesday and adjourned proceedings until Oct 21 this year, adding that she would not have a verdict at that point.
China urges the Canadian government to heed the call for justice, show the spirit of independence and courage, and release Meng immediately, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said
Wednesday afternoon after the hearing ended, Huawei Canada made a statement on Twitter, saying "in Ms. Meng's defense, counsel raised four branches of abuse of process: political motivation, unlawful detention, material omissions and misstatements, and violations of customary international law."
"From the start, Huawei has been confident in Ms. Meng's innocence," said the statement, adding that Huawei "has been supporting Ms. Meng's pursuit of justice and freedom."
Meng, who did nothing in violation of Canadian laws, was arbitrarily detained on Dec 1, 2018 at Vancouver International Airport at the request of the United States.
China urges the Canadian government to immediately correct its mistakes and release Meng so that she can return to China safely at an early date, the Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Hua Chunying said Thursday.
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China has, from the very beginning, stressed that Meng's case is a political incident through and through, which was created by the US government out of nothing but attempts to suppress China's hi-tech companies and thwart China's progress in science and technology, Hua said.
Stressing the fact that Meng, who did nothing in violation of Canadian laws, has been arbitrarily detained for nearly 1,000 days, Hua said this is a textbook case of coercion and human rights infringement.This has been increasingly evident as more and more people have fully understood and recognized the facts around the case, she added.
She said that the Canadian government has been acting as an accomplice for the US side and bears inescapable responsibilities in this incident, which certainly infuriated the Chinese people.
"We have taken note that some insightful people in Canada have also called for the government to stop Meng Wanzhou's extradition process in accordance with the Canadian law," she said.
China urges the Canadian government to heed the call for justice, show the spirit of independence and courage, and release Meng immediately, she added
READ MORE: Meng Wanzhou's extradition case concluding