On Monday, the US Justice Department filed nearly two dozens charges ranging from bank fraud to stealing trade secrets against Huawei.
US officials also made clear that they would submit an extradition request to Canada before Wednesday’s deadline to bring Sabrina Meng Wanzhou, its chief financial officer, to America for trial.
The steps drew immediate criticism from Beijing, which has blasted the moves as politically motivated and demanded that Canada release Meng immediately.
Meng, also the daughter of Huawei’s founder Ren Zhengfei, was arrested in Vancouver in December when she was changing flights.
But Monday’s indictment was filed just hours before the arrival of a Chinese trade delegation led by Vice-Premier Liu He in Washington for two days of trade talks.
Speaking in Beijing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Beijing hoped that the trade talks in Washington would make progress and he did not draw any direct links between the Huawei case and the trade negotiations.