BEIJING — China has renewed a demand that Canada release a top executive of the tech giant Huawei a day after announcing a suspension of all imports of Canadian meat products in an apparent bid to increase the pressure on Ottawa.
Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters at a daily briefing Wednesday that Canada should “take seriously China’s concerns” and immediately release Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s chief financial officer and the daughter of the company’s founder.
The Chinese Embassy in Ottawa said in a statement Tuesday that Chinese customs inspectors detected residue from a restricted feed additive called ractopamine in a batch of Canadian pork products, prompting the ban.
Meng was arrested Dec. 1 in Canada at the request of U.S. authorities, who want to try her on fraud charges.