Now the Chinese government is threatening:

“Release her, or else.”

And Canada says, “Or else, what...eh?”

Welcome back to China Uncensored.

I'm Chris Chappell.

This is Meng Wanzhou.

She's the Chief Financial Officer

of China's biggest private company, Huawei.

But she made a big mistake:

Going to Canada.

See, Meng was at the Vancouver airport on December 1st,

changing flights, when Canadian authorities arrested her.

She's suspected of orchestrating a scheme by Huawei

to use the global banking system

to evade U.S. sanctions on Iran.

And now she's stuck in a Vancouver-area prison

called the Alouette Correctional Facility Center for Women.

The Alouette is a dangerous place.

First they pluck the feathers off your head,

then your beak, then your neck...

And that was a very obscure joke

for all 3 of you who speak French.

Anyway, Meng's arrest in Canada ought to be a lesson:

She should have spent her winter visiting

a tropical island nation like Vanuatu.

Not so much for the warm weather—

but because they don't have an extradition treaty with the US.

Meng was arrested in Canada at the request of US authorities.

The US accuses her of misleading multinational banks

about Huawei's control of a company operating in Iran,

putting the banks at risk of violating US sanctions

and potentially incurring severe penalties.

If extradited to the US and convicted here,

she could face up to 30 years in prison.

But even in her temporary Canadian jail,

she's been badly abused.

Don't take it from me.

Take it from my favorite Chinese state-run media The Global Times.

They say her human rights are being violated.

They write that,

“She has been subjected to rude and degrading treatment.”

For example,

being put in handcuffs and even ankle braces.

I agree.

How dare Canada treat her like a common Chinese dissident!

She's a VIP with connections!

Actually, that's not true.

A common Chinese dissident would have been beaten up

at least once or twice by now.

But the point is,

Meng is not only the CFO of Huawei.

She's also the daughter of Huawei's founder, Ren Zhengfei.

He's worth 3.2 billion dollars.

And he's a former officer of the People's Liberation Army.

That makes her not just an heiress to the Huawei empire,

but potentially a key figure in the Chinese Communist Party's

shady relationship with Huawei.

Huawei has faced accusations of conducting espionage

on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party,

and of undermining American security

by illegally using advanced US technology

to give the Chinese military an edge.

Richard Fisher, Senior Fellow

at the International Assessment and Strategy Center,

told The Epoch Times that Huawei

and another Chinese company ZTE are quote unquote

“cat's paws for Chinese Communist Party domination.”

Now that should really give you pause.

The Chinese company ZTE is a competitor of Huawei.

And the US recently banned ZTE

from buying components from U.S. manufacturers.

It was punishment for illegally selling telecom equipment

containing American technology to Iran and North Korea.

And Huawei could soon face similar sanctions.

Because it's also under investigation

by the US Department of Justice

for violating Iran sanctions.

So it's little wonder that the Chinese Communist Party

has rushed to threaten Canada over Meng Wanzhou's arrest.

Here's my favorite Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson

and second-favorite Mortal Kombat character,

Lu Kang:

“For Canada,

if they do not correctly handle this matter,

there will be serious consequences.”

Then things got weird.

“You asked,

what kind of serious consequences would these be?

I can tell you in one sentence—

it is totally up to Canada."

“Totally up to Canada?”

Isn't that a bit like putting a convict

in charge of their own sentencing?

“Your honor,

for all the grievous crimes I've committed,

I hereby sentence myself to...

total freedom and a six pack of beer!”

And can you really count on Canada for self-discipline?

I mean, it is the country that just legalized marijuana.

And its Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau,

is nicknamed the “Shiny Pony”.

Seriously.

He got that name in 2012

when he fought a Canadian senator

at a charity boxing match.

“Justin Truuuuuuudeau!”

“He's wearing liberal red, of course.

I call him the Shiny Pony.

He looks like he's in some sort of zen yoga trance.”

Which, let's face it,

was really a chance to show off his tattoo.

So can you really count on Canada's Prime Minister

to read between the lines of China's

“it's totally up to you” threat?

Clearly, you can't.

Shiny Pony did not get the hint.

He told the press that he wasn't going to do

any political favors to get Ms. Meng out of jail.

“I can assure everyone that

we are a country of an independent judiciary

and the appropriate authorities took the decisions in this case

without any political involvement or interference,

as must be the case.”

This is something maybe Chinese authorities don't understand.

But Canada—yes, Canada—

does have rule of law.

“The Prime Minister or Minister cannot phone the judge

and tell them to release the person,

so what's China demanding under our rule of law,

under our system,

is not a doable thing.

That being said,

China certainly has the means

to inflict pain on its relationship with Canada.”

So after all of the Chinese regime's confusing threats

that didn't sound like threats,

it finally took Party mouthpiece People's Daily to lay it on straight.

They directly warned Canada that

“The only way to avoid paying a much heavier price

is for the Canadian side to correct this error.”

So what they're saying is...

Unless Canadian politicians break the law,

violate their extradition treaty with the US,

and release Meng,

there'll be hell to pay.

So how did Shiny Pony react to that?

“As I said the appropriate authorities

took the decisions in this case.

We were advised by them with a few days notice

that this was in the works.

But of course there was no engagement

or involvement in the political level in this decision

because we respect the independence

of our judicial processes.”

Yeah, Canada is not letting her go.

And you know,

as much as I like to make fun of Canada and Justin Trudeau—

and oh man, I do!—

in this case, I have to say...

TKO Justin Trudeau!

“Justin Trudeau, you did it!

You're not the shiny pony, you're the stallion!”

Let's just hope he sticks to his...surprisingly big guns.

So what's happening with Meng Wanzhou's case now?

Well, in accordance with Canadian law,

she went through a hearing to determine

whether she should be released on bail

due to health concerns while her case is being decided.

The judge ended up granting her bail,

which means she won't have to stay in prison

as her case proceeds.

Meng's extradition case could last months or even years,

since under Canadian law,

she can appeal an extradition decision

all the way to the Canadian Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, I'm sure that there's no way that

the Chinese Communist Party could try to put

more political pressure on Canada to release Meng.

Like for example,

detaining a former Canadian diplomat in China.

Well, whaddya know.

So what do you think about China's threats

to punish Canada for not releasing Meng?

Leave your comments below.

And before you go,

it's time for me to answer a question

from one of you who supports China Uncensored

through the crowdfunding website Patreon.

WinniePooh asks,

“Do you think conflict will still exist between the US and China

if god turns China into a democratic and wealthier country?

Or is it possible for a democratic country

to become the 2nd most powerful country

which can challenge the US?

Good question.

Firstly,

turning China into a democratic and wealthy country....

This is something Chinese people

have to take action on themselves.

And to do that,

they'll have to bring the Communist Party

and its worst henchmen to justice.

Because China can never have meaningful democracy

under a Party that sits above the rule of law.

If China does eventually become a country with democracy,

and rule of law, and wealth,

would we have a conflict?

Well, there might be disagreements.

It's normal to not see eye-to-eye

on every issue with every country—

even our allies.

This is why each leader needs to continuously forge bonds,

and sometimes re-negotiate treaties.

But it's pretty rare for democracies

to go to war against other democracies.

So I think that once China ditches the Communist Party

and establishes rule of law,

it will be on its way to real prosperity,

and will potentially be a long-term ally of the US.

It's pretty clear that we're capable of being allies

with big countries like India,

wealthy countries like Japan,

and Chinese democracies like Taiwan.

Thanks for your question, WinniePooh.

Wait, you're not...

Couldn't be.

And for everyone else,

do you want help us

make more episodes of China Uncensored?

Please support our growth

by pledging a dollar or more per episode.

Go to Patreon.com/ChinaUncensored.

The link is below.

Once again, I'm Chris Chappell.

Thanks for watching China Uncensored.

You know, sometimes I feel like I could make an entire show

of just directly reading Chinese state-run media out loud.

For example, the recent People's Daily article.

“To arrest someone without offering a clear reason

is an undisguised infringement upon

the human rights of that person.

The Canadian side,

even though there had not been a trial

and determination of guilt,

went entirely against the spirit of the law,

choosing to infer guilt

and placing the person in handcuffs and fetters.

To treat a Chinese citizen like a serious criminal,

to roughly trample their basic human rights,

and to dishonour their dignity,

how is this the method of a civilised country?

How can this not make people furious?”

Yes, how can a government that tramples

on the basic human rights of Chinese citizens

not make people furious.

Good question, People's Daily.