A Canadian judge will rule Wednesday on a key aspect of Huawei Technologies Co Ltd’s Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou‘s extradition to the United States.
The judge will rule on double criminality, meaning whether the charges against Meng were illegal in both Canada and the United States at the time of her December 2018 arrest.
Here is a timeline of the case.
Aug. 22, 2018: A New York court issues an arrest warrant for Meng to stand trial in the United States.
Nov. 29, 2018: U.S. learns that Meng will pass through Vancouver International Airport.
Dec. 1, 2018: Meng is arrested by Canadian police in Vancouver. The arrest is not made public until Dec. 5. The Chinese embassy in Canada demands her release.
Dec. 7, 2018: Court proceedings show U.S. issued the arrest warrant because it believes Meng covered up attempts by Huawei-linked companies to sell equipment to Iran, breaking U.S. sanctions against the country.
Dec. 8, 2018: China says the arrest of Meng was “extremely nasty” and threatens Canada with consequences if it does not release her.
Dec. 10, 2018: Two Canadians are detained in China – a former Canadian diplomat, Michael Kovrig, and businessman Michael Spavor. China denies their arrests are related to Meng’s case.
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Dec. 11, 2018: Meng is released on bail by a British Columbian court. U.S. President Donald Trump says he will intervene in the case if it would serve national interests.
Jan. 8, 2019: Documents found by Reuters confirm Huawei’s links to companies suspected of operating in Iran and Syria, breaking sanctions. (https://reut.rs/2AfdrYz)
Jan. 22, 2019: The U.S. Justice Department announces it will formally seek the extradition of Meng to the United States.
Jan. 23, 2019: John McCallum, Canada’s ambassador to China, tells Chinese-language media Huawei can make a good case against extradition, thanks in part to Trump’s comments about his willingness to get involved.
Jan. 26, 2019: Trudeau fires McCallum after his comments to the press, marking the first time a Canadian ambassador had ever been fired.
Feb. 4, 2019: Canadian canola shipments are delayed in clearing Chinese customs, slowing trade to one of Canada’s biggest exporters.
March 1, 2019: Canada approves the extradition order of Meng to U.S.
March 3, 2019: Huawei sues the Canadian government over Meng’s arrest. China claims detained Canadian Michael Kovrig stole state secrets.
March 6, 2019: China blocks most shipments Canadian canola.
April 29, 2019: Canadian farm exports across the board hit obstacles at Chinese ports.
May 1, 2019: China blocks shipments from two Canadian pork producers.
June 25, 2019: China blocks all Canadian pork shipments.
July 15, 2019: Canada postpones the decision on whether to allow Huawei to build a 5G cellphone network in Canada and has yet to issue a decision as of May 2020.
Jan. 20, 2020: Meng’s legal team and Canadian prosecutors argue her alleged conduct was not illegal in Canada, an argument known as “double criminality.”