OPINION:
The Global Times has an anodyne name, but it’s anything but. The tabloid newspaper, based in Beijing, marries Communist Party propaganda with New York Post-style panache. A wholly owned subsidiary of the more staid People’s Daily, itself a mouthpiece of the CCP, the Global Times provides a useful window into what the ideologues of the party are thinking. (It’s always good for a belly laugh or two as well.)
Take the current contretemps over the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications giant. Ms. Meng was apprehended in Vancouver last week, apparently at the U.S. government’s urging. She now faces extradition to the U.S., where she will answer charges relating to sanctions violations. Huawei, the U.S. contends, has illegally evaded sanctions on exports to Iran. Ms. Meng allegedly lied to bankers in the U.S. about the purpose of a Huawei subsidiary that was set up just for that nefarious purpose.
A normal country — or at least one eager to join the club of non-rogue nations — might react to the apprehension of one of its tech titans abroad by balancing national interests with respect for the rule of law. Yes, Beijing quite rightly wants to ensure that its citizens overseas receive fair treatment. But it also shouldn’t be in the business of protecting oligarchs who fancy themselves above the law. France, for instance, isn’t clamoring for the unconditional release of its citizen Carlos Ghosn, the automobile magnate currently in jail in Japan awaiting charges that he systematically understated his income for years.
China has taken a different line, as an editorial in the Global Times made clear this week. “The U.S. and Canada are undoubtedly abusing their judicial systems, which are strong and give them extra power. Washington should not attempt to use its domestic laws as strategic support for its commercial and diplomatic competition around the world. There is no doubt that the U.S. actions are political, as the thin veneer of justice cannot conceal the political motives,” the paper thundered.
The Communist Party backed up its rhetoric with action, detaining a former Canadian diplomat, Michael Kovrig, who happened to be in Beijing this week. Beijing hasn’t even bothered with a “thin veneer of justice.” The Canadian government has not been able to contact Mr. Kovrig, nor has he faced public charges. Ms. Meng, by contrast, appeared in open court and was able to secure bail.
The Global Times has a point that underlying political forces are shaping the Huawei dispute. The massive company — it’s the second-largest smartphone manufacturer in the world, behind Samsung — is ostensibly privately held. But like fellow Chinese tech giant ZTE, it’s essentially an arm of the Chinese state and the CCP. The U.S. government recently banned its employees from using Huawei and ZTE phones because it is widely understood that both the Communist-controlled central government and the People’s Liberation Army are able to access them for espionage through so-called back doors. Huawei subsequently announced that it was essentially pulling out of the U.S. market.
The moves to cordon off Huawei and ZTE are not examples of Trumpian protectionism. The Five Eyes intelligence alliance — the U.S., the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada — have said that Huawei’s 5G network presents “significant security risks.” Japan this week banned its government and military from buying equipment from the two Chinese companies.
The Global Times was not happy about this, either. Casting it as an act of Japanese kowtowing to a bullying U.S. — a shrewd line given Japan’s highly nationalistic electorate — the paper argued that “Tokyo need not toe the American line and should defend its privilege to take prudent business decisions in keeping with its sovereign rights.” Judging by the ink spilled, the CCP sure seems to be taking the actions against Huawei and ZTE personally.
Indeed, Beijing’s anger over Ms. Meng’s detention would seem to suggest that the state has a vested interest in the success of the supposedly independent Huawei. The dictator doth protest too much.
⦁ Ethan Epstein is deputy opinion editor of The Washington Times. Contact him at eepstein@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter @ethanepstiiiine.
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