Canada’s cyber security chief says his agency is prepared for possible Chinese cyberattacks in retaliation for the arrest of Huawei’s chief financial officer in Canada for alleged violations of U.S. trade sanctions against Iran.
Scott Jones, director of the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, would not comment on the detention of Meng Wanzhou, who was picked up by Canadian law enforcement officials in transit at Vancouver airport Dec. 1.
The U.S. authorities requested her arrest and extradition on suspicion she violated U.S. trade sanctions against Iran. Her apprehension has drawn sharp protests from China and demands for her immediate release.
Mr. Jones said Canadian cyberauthorities are ready in case China is tempted to attack this country’s communication infrastructure.
“We always have to be resilient no matter what the possible trigger could be so we increase our resilience against any form of malicious activity that we could be facing as a nation,” he told a news conference on the release of the the cybersecurity agency’s annual report. “We are working very closely with the broader security community.”
China has angrily rebuked the Canadian government for the arrest of the high-profile telecom executive, whose father Ren Zhengfei is the founder of Huawei, the largest private company in China and the No. 2 mobile phone maker in the world.
“Detaining a person without providing an explanation has undoubtedly violated her human rights,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, while the Chinese embassy in Ottawa said Ms. Meng had not violated Canadian or U.S. law and demanded her immediate release.
“The Chinese side has lodged stern representations with the U.S. and Canadian side, urged them to immediately correct the wrongdoing and restore the personal liberty of Ms. Meng Wanzhou,” the embassy said in a statement. “We will closely follow the development of the issue and take all measures to resolutely protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens.”
U.S. prosecutors in New York have been investigating whether Huawei violated U.S. sanctions in relation to Iran, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal in April.
Huawei said in a statement to The Globe and Mail that Ms. Meng faces “unspecified charges in the Eastern District of New York” and that she was arrested when she was transferring between flights in Canada.
