Chinese telecom giant Huawei has issued an unusual invitation to foreign media outlets to visit its facilities and meet staff as the company pushes back against global pressure arising from US accusations that it spies for Beijing.

Huawei on Thursday purchased full-page adverts in major US newspapers including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post to invite US media to visit its Shenzhen headquarters in southern China next week, extending a similar welcome to AFP on Friday.

Bearing the headline "Don't believe everything you hear", the advert was attributed to Huawei board director Catherine Chen.

"I am writing to you in the hopes that we can come to understand each other better," it said.

"In recent years, the US government has developed some misunderstandings about us. We would like to draw your attention to the facts."

US President Donald Trump's administration has in recent months ramped up efforts to block Huawei, the leader in 5G technology, by urging allies to avoid the Chinese powerhouse, claiming that national security interests are at stake.

Huawei has responded in recent weeks by coming out in public to state its case with a directness unusual for a major Chinese company.

Its 74-year-old founder Ren Zhengfei, who previously rarely spoke to foreign media, has granted repeated interviews since the start of the year to deny that Huawei is a mole for China's Communist government.

Other Huawei officials have hit back by highlighting US government eavesdropping that was exposed by former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.

Huawei's chairman Guo Ping forcefully pushed back at the US accusations this week in a keynote address at the mobile industry's biggest annual global event in Barcelona.

"The US security accusation against our 5G has no evidence. Nothing," he said.

The issue has escalated with the arrest in Canada in December of Ren's daughter, Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, who is accused of violating US sanctions against Iran and faces an extradition hearing this month.

Two Huawei affiliates also have been charged in the United States with trade theft for stealing robotics technology from T-Mobile and offering financial rewards to staff who stole secrets from rivals.

The open letter avoided those issues, focusing instead on how the huge company's systems have contributed to global connectivity.

It invited media outlets to visit its facilities.

"On behalf of Huawei, I would like to invite members of the US media to visit our campuses and meet our employees," it said, providing an email address for arranging visits.

"Don't believe everything you hear. Come and see us. We look forward to meeting you."

Canada launches extradition of top Chinese executive to US
Ottawa (AFP) March 2, 2019 –

Canada on Friday launched the extradition of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou to the United States — the latest move in a case that has roiled relations between the North American neighbors and China.

The 47-year-old businesswoman was changing planes in Vancouver in December when she was detained at Washington's request on suspicion of violating US sanctions on Iran — sparking arrests of Canadians in China that were seen as retaliatory.

"Today, Department of Justice Canada officials issued an Authority to Proceed, formally commencing an extradition process in the case of Ms. Meng Wanzhou," the government said in a statement.

Meng, Huawei's chief financial officer and the daughter of the company's founder Ren Zhengfei, is due in court on March 6, when prosecutors will present the evidence against her and lay out detailed arguments for her extradition.

The decision, the statement said, followed a "thorough and diligent" review which found sufficient evidence to warrant putting the matter before a judge.

At the end of the process — which could last months, or even years — Canada's attorney general will have the final say on whether or not to hand Meng over.

China's embassy in Canada said it was "utterly dissatisfied with and firmly opposes" the decision to proceed with the extradition, calling it "political persecution" and asking for Meng's unconditional release.

Meng has been released on bail pending the outcome of the hearings.

China is furious over the US charges against Meng, saying they are the product of "strong political motivations" and an attempt to undermine its flagship telecoms company.

Huawei has strenuously denied any wrongdoing.

– Canadians detained –

Nine days after Meng's arrest, Chinese authorities detained two Canadians — former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor — in what was widely seen as an act of retaliation.

A third Canadian, meanwhile, had his sentence for drug trafficking upped from 15 years in prison to death row.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has insisted on a strict hands-off approach to the issue, with his justice department stressing on Friday that "Canada is a country governed by the rule of law."

Trudeau sacked his ambassador to China for undermining that position by saying Meng had a "strong" case against extradition, and later adding that it would be "great for Canada" if the US dropped the case.

In January, the US announced 13 charges against Meng, Huawei and two affiliates.

Officials separately filed 10 charges against two Huawei affiliates for allegedly stealing technology from T-Mobile.

Prosecutors say that between 2007 and 2017, Meng, Huawei and subsidiaries sought to mask their business with Iran in violation of US and UN sanctions on the Islamic republic.

Meng in particular "repeatedly lied" to bankers about the relationships between the companies, especially with Skycom, a Huawei affiliate in Iran, according to the charges.

That broke the law, justice officials in Washington said, because the Iran business involved US dollar transactions processed by banks through the United States.

Huawei and the affiliates lied to US authorities and obstructed the investigation, court documents say.

The company is also accused of a concerted effort to steal technology related to a phone-testing robot dubbed Tappy from a T-Mobile USA lab in Washington state, and of rewarding staff for stealing competitors' technology secrets.