Canada can expect retaliation “far worse” than the detainment of a former diplomat if Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou isn’t released, the editor of a state-friendly Chinese newspaper said in a video posted Wednesday.
“Meng Wanzhou was released on bail, but Canada must do more to restore her freedom and put an end to this incident,” Hu Xijin, editor of the Global Times, said in the video.
“Otherwise, China will definitely take retaliatory measures against Canada.”
Coverage of Meng Wanzhou’s arrest on Globalnews.ca:
Hu’s remarks came one day after Meng was released on a $10-million bail and placed under numerous conditions that require her to remain under 24-hour surveillance, wear an electronic tracking device and stay within the area of Vancouver and its suburbs.
Crown lawyers were concerned that she could pose a flight risk because she’s wealthy, and they questioned her ties to Vancouver.
READ MORE: Meng Wanzhou, Huawei CFO, released from custody following bail hearing
Canada “expects” that China could retaliate following Meng’s arrest, Hu said in the video.
He mentioned the detainment of Michael Kovrig, a Canadian ex-diplomat who was reportedly taken into custody after Meng was arrested.
“I personally believe that if Canada extradites Meng to the U.S., China’s revenge will be far worse than detaining a Canadian,” Hu said.
His remarks also came on the same day that Michael Spavor, a man who has helped to arrange trips to North Korea, was identified as the second Canadian to go missing in China this week.
Hu didn’t provide more detail as to what Chinese retaliation might look like.
But analysts, ex-diplomats and academics have said that retaliation could materialize as consequences for trade with Canadian businesses.
WATCH: Huawei CFO case strains relationship between Canada and China
“China is not going to take this sitting down,” said Stephanie Carvin, assistant professor at Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs.
Former Canadian ambassador to China David Mulroney said Canada and China are likely to see a “deep freeze” in high-level visits, and “the ability to talk about free trade will be put in the icebox for a while.”
One prominent Canadian business has seen its stock drop following news of Meng’s arrest.
Canada Goose shares fell from $92.05 earlier this month to $74.65 on Tuesday after Chinese consumers were urged to boycott the company.
This development came months after Canada Goose announced plans to open two stores and a regional headquarters in Shanghai.
—With files from Rahul Kalvapalle, Marek Tkach, Reuters and the Associated Press
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