Huawei executive granted bail in Canada

A Canadian court on Tuesday granted bail to a top executive of a Chinese telecom company after China responded to her arrest by detaining a former Canadian diplomat. Justice William Ehrcke of the Supreme Court of British Columbia set bail at $7.5 million for Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei, after three days of hearings. Canadian authorities detained Meng on Dec. 1 on behalf of the United States at an airport in Vancouver after she arrived on a flight from Hong Kong. The United States said Huawei, the largest global supplier of network gear used by phone and internet companies, used a shell company in Hong Kong to sell equipment to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. It also accused Meng of misleading banks about the dealings. The court ordered her to wear an ankle monitoring bracelet, surrender her passport, and remain in the Vancouver area, among other restrictions.

On Monday night, Chinese officials detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig, who works as a northeast Asia adviser with the International Crisis Group. The Brussels-based group confirmed he was arrested during a regular visit. Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said the country is “sparing no effort to do everything we possibly can to look after his safety.” Lu Kang, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said Wednesday the ministry had no information on Kovrig but the organization he worked for was not registered and thus his work in the country would be illegal. Lu also reiterated China’s demand for Meng’s release.