China’s ambassador warns Canada against Huawei 5G ban, saying ‘Meng Wanzhou incident’ should be a lesson

Cong Peiwu says a ban would ‘send a strong signal’ to Chinese investors and companies that Canada was not conducive to business

Canada’s decision on whether to allow Huawei to take part in 5G infrastructure is expected soon, after years of delay

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China’s Ambassador to Canada, Cong Peiwu, addressing a webinar hosted by the Centre for International Governance Innovation on Tuesday. Photo: CIGI Studio

Published: 3:26am, 8 Dec 2021Updated: 5:52am, 25 Dec 2021

Beijing’s ambassador has warned that Canada risks driving away Chinese investors and companies if it bans Huawei Technologies from its 5G internet infrastructure, saying he hoped Canada had learned a lesson from the outcome of the “Meng Wanzhou incident”.

Cong Peiwu, addressing a webinar hosted by the Centre for International Governance Innovation think tank on Tuesday, contended that security concerns surrounding Huawei had been “invented by the United States and the main purpose is to crack down on Huawei”.

Ottawa has been reviewing Huawei’s fate in the nation’s 5G network for three years amid concerns about the potential for Chinese espionage, but the process was delayed when Meng, the company’s chief financial officer, was arrested in Vancouver in December 2018 on a US fraud warrant.

Cong said security concerns about 5G networks had been “invented by the United States and the main purpose is to crack down on Huawei”. Photo: AP

That triggered a furious response from Beijing, and threw China-Canada relations into turmoil. Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were arrested and accused of spying, but their detentions were widely seen as retaliation for Meng’s treatment.