Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by martyb on Wednesday December 12 2018, @03:04AM   Printer-friendly
from the communications-issues dept.

Michael Kovrig, former Canadian diplomat, reportedly arrested in China

A former Canadian diplomat has reportedly been arrested in China. The International Crisis Group said Tuesday it's aware of reports that its North East Asia senior adviser Michael Kovrig has been detained.

The Brussels-based non-governmental organization said in a statement it's doing everything possible to obtain additional information about Kovrig's whereabouts and that it will work to ensure his prompt release.

The Globe and Mail in Toronto and the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported the arrest, citing unnamed sources.

Reports of Kovrig's detention come after China warned Canada of consequences for its recent arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at Vancouver's airport. It's unclear if there's any link between the cases.

Some Chinese companies ban iPhones, require Huawei after CFO's arrest: report

Some Chinese companies are banning iPhones and requiring that their employees use Huawei products following the arrest of Huawei's chief financial officer, according to a new Yahoo News report. Meng Wanzhou, the CFO of Chinese telecom giant Huawei, was arrested by Canadian authorities last Saturday at the request of the U.S. after allegedly violating trade sanctions against Iran. Chinese officials have strongly protested Meng's detention.

Now, Chinese companies are promoting Huawei and barring Apple, an American company. Menpad, an LCD display maker and Huawei supplier, on Monday said it will punish employees who buy iPhones with a fine equivalent to the American smartphone's market price, the South China Morning Post reported. It also vowed that the company will no longer buy American products, including office supplies and computers, and will offer a 15 percent subsidy for employees who are buying Huawei phones, according to the Post.

Japan's top three telcos to exclude Huawei, ZTE network equipment: Kyodo

Japan's big three telecom operators plan not to use current equipment and upcoming fifth-generation (5G) gear from China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and ZTE Corp, Kyodo News reported on Monday.

The news, for which Kyodo did not cite sources, comes at a time of heightened scrutiny of Chinese tech firms by Washington and some prominent allies over ties to the Chinese government, driven by concerns they could be used by Beijing for spying. Last week sources told Reuters that Japan planned to ban government purchases of equipment from Huawei and ZTE to ensure strength in its defences against intelligence leaks and cyber attacks.

See also: How Meng Wanzhou's Arrest Might Backfire

Previously: Canada Arrests Huawei's Global Chief Financial Officer in Vancouver
Arrest of Huawei Executive Causing Discontent Among Chinese Elites

Related: New Law Bans U.S. Government from Buying Equipment from Chinese Telecom Giants ZTE and Huawei
Australia Bans China's Huawei (and maybe ZTE) from 5G Mobile Network Project
Washington Asks Allies to Drop Huawei


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @04:57AM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @04:57AM (#773304)
    Do you really want China to confiscate all our factories on their land? They'd do that in a millisecond.
    Starting Score:    0  points
    Moderation   +1  
       Insightful=1, Total=1
    Extra 'Insightful' Modifier   0  

    Total Score:   1  
  • (Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @07:57AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @07:57AM (#773358)

    Invalid form key: 0jk1zvN0AZ

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @06:22PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @06:22PM (#773586)

    None of the factories in China (unless some are currently foreign owned after the changes to corporate ownership they implemented or discussed recently came to pass) were more than 49 percent foreign owned, meaning they wouldn't be taking anything a foreigner actually properly owned, and with 51 percent voting rights most corporate takeovers or oustings are possible.

    Having said that, forcing reciprocal agreements with China should be mandatory and retroactive. If china only allows 49 percent foreign ownership, then force chinese citizens with assets in Canada/America/EU to follow the same disadvantageous rules there. By doing so, and putting Chinese elites on insecure financial footing, you will see a lot more of them either running back to china, or pushing for reforms to help China better acclimate itself into the international ownership structure, thus making it a larger part of the globalized economy.