When we talk about the American Empire's dominance in the Western
Hemisphere, our thoughts go instantly to Central and South America.
But Canada is also bound up in the Empire's tangled web.
Carl Jarvis
On 1/13/19, Roger Loran Bailey <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
172
8
Ottawa caters to Trump’s campaign against China
/ 16 hours ago
jan. 2019 meng wanzhou
Meng Wanzhou, senior executive with the Chinese corporation Huawei, on
Dec. 12, two weeks after her arrest in Vancouver due to an extradition
request by the U.S. government. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press)
By BARRY WEISLEDER
What does the arrest in Vancouver [on Dec. 1, 2018] of Meng Wanzhou, a
senior executive with China’s tech giant Huawei, have to do with the
“rule of law?” Precious little. What does it have to do with enforcing
Washington’s illegal trade embargo of Iran? A bit more.
Meng is accused of committing fraud as part of a scheme to violate
United States trade sanctions against Iran. She was arrested when she
passed through Vancouver on her way to Mexico. U.S. officials want
Ottawa to extradite her. Awaiting a decision by a Canadian judge, Meng
is out on $10 million bail. The extradition procedure could take months,
even years.
Meanwhile, China detained three Canadians, two of them (ex-diplomat
Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor) on dubious charges of
“engaging in activities that endanger the national security” of China.
No less dubious is the American agenda. U.S. President Trump openly
linked the fate of Meng to winning a better trade deal with Beijing.
Washington’s efforts to punish Huawei for trading with Iran are in
violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 that calls
on all countries to drop sanctions on Iran as part of the 2015 treaty
aimed at limiting Iran from developing nuclear weapons—a treaty praised
globally for reducing the risk of nuclear war.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau restored relations with Iran, and lifted
economic sanctions in February 2016, overturning the policy of the
previous Stephen Harper-led Conservative government. So, why knuckle
under now to Trump’s rogue policy? There is no obligation in law to
extradite Meng. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland is blowing
smoke when she claims that Canada is upholding the rule of law. It is a
political decision, not a strictly legal one. And the politics cleave to
imperialist ambitions to control the oil fields of the Middle East and
Iran, regardless the character of the government in Tehran.
Bottom line: Should Ottawa back Trump’s bid to block Huawei from U.S.
and other markets where it is making headway against American tech giants?
The answer is a resounding no. The working class has nothing to gain by
backing any capitalist power against another. To that end, Labour, the
NDP, and all workers’ organizations should demand an end to Ottawa’s
catering to U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, Asia, and beyond.
The release of Meng will likely bring the detained Canadians home. It
won’t quell Trump’s simmering trade war with China, but at least there
would be one less state accomplice.
Huawei and military power
By GARY PORTER
Huawei is the second-largest smartphone manufacturer in the world,
recently passing Apple. The Chinese company sells over 10 per cent of
the world’s smartphones. Yet its devices are effectively banned from
sale in the United States due to suspicion of Chinese state involvement
in the running of the company, and ties to China’s military that go
right back to Huawei’s inception.
Would you be safe buying a Huawei phone? The quality of its tech is
certainly compelling. The Huawei P20 Pro, for example, is widely
considered to be the best camera phone on the market. But U.S. consumers
may never get to own one.
The Chinese military is an important Huawei customer. It serves as the
company’s political patron and R&D partner, according to Timothy Heath
of the Rand Corporation. “Huawei continues to receive contracts from the
Chinese military to develop dual use communications technologies. In
particular, it is helping develop 5G networks with military applications
in mind,” Heath asserts.
Of course, exactly the same thing happens in the U.S. Telecom
manufacturers collaborate with the U.S. military and spy agencies to
enhance digital spying, military communications, command and control and
cyber war applications. The U.S. is determined to maintain its hegemony,
against this powerful and highly competent Chinese competitor.
To put it another way, the United States insists on being the one entity
that spies on your entire life and does not want to share that capacity
with powerful trade and military competitors like China.
Are Huawei devices safe from surveillance? Probably not. Are U.S.
companies’ devices safe from surveillance? Definitely not. So my next
phone will be a Huawei P20 Pro. If I am going to be spied upon anyway,
why not get the best phone? Helping American imperialism maintain
technical dominance is just not in my interest.
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January 12, 2019 in Canada, China, Trump / U.S. Government.
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Jules Verne
“ Reality provides us with facts so romantic that imagination itself could
add nothing to them. ”
― Jules Verne
