China's tech giant Huawei has said in a statement that it denies any criminal involvement in the charges levelled by the United States.
"The Company denies that it or its subsidiary or affiliate have committed any of the asserted violations of US law set forth in each of the indictments, is not aware of any wrongdoings by Ms Meng, and believes the US courts will ultimately reach the same conclusion", the company tweeted.
— Huawei Technologies (@Huawei) 29 января 2019 г.
The Canadian Department of Justice has received a formal extradition request from the United States for Huawei Chief Financial Officer, Meng Wanzhou, CBC reported earlier.
CNN previously reported that the deadline for sending a request was 30 January. Now a judge in the province of British Columbia has to decide whether all the necessary evidence for extradition is present. Then the Minister of Justice Jody Wilson-Raybould will make the final decision.
Earlier today, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry Geng Shuang stated that Beijing had urged the United States to immediately withdraw the arrest warrant for Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou and avoid requesting her extradition from Canada.
The situation between Canada and China has worsened since Meng was arrested in Vancouver on 1 December 2018, at the United States' request, reportedly for failing to comply with US sanctions against Iran. The arrest was decried by Beijing, demanding that Canadian authorities immediately release the Chinese national.
READ MORE: US Charges Huawei, Affiliates, CFO With Conspiracy, Stealing Trade Secrets
Chinese-Canadian relations were further strained following the detention of two Canadian citizens, former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor, in China shortly after Meng's arrest. While the detentions have been widely regarded as Beijing's retaliation for the arrest of the Huawei executive, Chinese authorities have denied the allegations, insisting that the two men posed a threat to national security.
