Meng Wanzhou was released with a plea not guilty and went home safely on a chartered plane by the Chinese government
The Meng Wanzhou Incident: A Microcosm of Great Changes Unseen in a Century
Han Yadong Li Yunshu
At 22:14 on September 25, the Chinese government chartered plane boarded by Meng Wanzhou, a Chinese citizen, arrived at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport. The hatch opened and Meng Wanzhou stepped out of the cabin and waved in greeting.
Meng Wanzhou delivered a brief speech at the airport. She said: “Where there is a five-star red flag, there is a beacon of faith. If faith is colored, it must be China Red!” Then, the welcoming crowd sang "Singing for the Motherland".
After being unreasonably detained by Canada for more than 1,000 days, Meng Wanzhou finally returned to the embrace of his motherland and reunited with his family.
This is the result of the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee, the result of the unremitting efforts of the Chinese government, the result of the strong support of the entire Chinese people, and a major victory for the Chinese people.
The Meng Wanzhou incident is a concentrated epitome of a major change unseen in a century.
The essence of the Meng Wanzhou incident was that the United States tried to obstruct or even interrupt China's development process.
China’s efforts are not only safeguarding the rights of a citizen and an enterprise, but also safeguarding the rights of the Chinese people to lead a better life and modernize the country.
Through the Meng Wanzhou incident, the Chinese people have seen more clearly that the closer they are to national rejuvenation, the less smooth sailing will be, and the more risks, challenges, and even stormy seas will be.
In the face of major changes in the world unseen in a century, we must unswervingly follow our own path, persevere in handling our own affairs, achieve high-level technological self-reliance, and build our great motherland even stronger.
The Meng Wanzhou incident occurred during the critical period of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, amidst major changes in the world unseen in a century. In essence, the United States tried to obstruct or even interrupt China’s development process.
On December 1, 2018, under the planning of the United States, Meng Wanzhou was unreasonably detained by the Canadian side without violating any Canadian laws while changing planes in Canada.
"The Meng Wanzhou incident occurred during the US's trade war and science and technology war against China. This incident is by no means accidental and isolated." Liu Jianli, a researcher at the Institute of Industrial Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told reporters.
Looking back at history, China was considered one of the poorest countries in the world in 1978.
After more than 40 years of rapid growth in reform and opening up, my country has created the world's rare "two miracles" of rapid economic development and long-term social stability, and has become the world's second largest economy and the largest manufacturing country.
Along with this process, Chinese enterprises have gradually become bigger and stronger, and the breadth and depth of "going out" have continued to expand.
From the perspective of enterprise development, the scale of Chinese enterprises and the number of large companies are increasing, and the multinational corporations cultivated by China, especially the manufacturing multinational corporations, have begun to show increasingly strong competitiveness in the global market.
In the 2020 Fortune 500 list, China has 133 companies on the list, ranking first in number, surpassing the United States for the first time.
In the 2021 Fortune 500 list, Chinese companies have increased to 143; Chinese large companies have ranked first in the Fortune 500 countries list for three consecutive years; Chinese companies’ operating income and net profit are respectively 91.26% and 75.00% of those of US companies, and the gap is further Zoom out.
From the perspective of enterprises' entry into overseas markets, the "going out" of Chinese enterprises has undergone an evolution from trade-based entry to productive investment, and the location of direct investment has gradually expanded from developing countries to developed countries.
According to Liu Jianli, despite the suppression by the United States, Huawei and ZTE have been ranked first and fourth, respectively, in the global communications equipment industry market share in the past two years.
In the manufacturing sector, Chinese consumer electronics products have performed well in overseas markets.
Take mobile phones as an example. Although Huawei has been suppressed by the United States, its market share has declined, but the influence of the Chinese mobile phone army in the global market has continued unabated. Brands such as Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo, Honor, and OnePlus are favored by overseas consumers.
Chinese home appliance companies have become more and more courageous in overseas markets, and home appliance products of companies such as Haier and Hisense have successfully entered the mainstream markets in Europe and America.
From the perspective of the development of strategic technology fields, Chinese companies are already in a leading position in the world in 5G, artificial intelligence and other fields. In key core technology fields such as semiconductors, they are also gradually promoting the substitution of independent technologies.
In the 5G communications equipment market, Huawei maintains the number one global market share by virtue of its huge domestic market.
At the same time, as the domestic manufacturer with the strongest independent controllability in the field of IT technology and chips, Huawei has achieved domestic substitution in many fields.
In the response report provided to the government by the US think tank RAND in 2019, it clearly put forward specific countermeasures to contain China in the gray area between war and peace.
"At present, the policies implemented by the United States are basically consistent with the countermeasures. In addition to the conventional technology competition strategy, the United States is increasingly using national power and adopting various unconventional methods to disrupt the development of China's high-tech industries in order to protect the United States. Technology hegemony." Liu Jianli said.
According to Liu Jianli's analysis, the chip industry is the strategic commanding heights of today's technological competition. It is related to the fate of 5G and other digital technologies and national defense security. It has become the core area for the United States to implement technological containment against China.
Huawei's sharp knife breakthrough in the chip field, the global leader in 5G technology, is unacceptable to the United States.
The United States has adopted a targeted attack "leader" strategy against China's technological containment. As an American politician put it, "attack on Huawei is equivalent to ten trade agreements."
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the relationship between China and the world is undergoing historic changes under the background that socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, the Chinese nation has approached the goal of great rejuvenation as never before, and China has increasingly approached the center of the world stage.
"The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is both an organic part and an important driving factor of the great changes in the world unseen in a century; the great changes in the world unseen in a century not only provide conditions and opportunities for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, but also bring potential risks. And challenges. The Meng Wanzhou incident is a microcosm of America’s obstruction of China’s rise under the unprecedented changes in a century.” Liu Jianli told reporters that this unscrupulous suppression is a concentrated reflection of the anxiety and hostility of the United States in the process of responding to China’s rise. Under the background of the new industrial revolution, the United States, as the world's technological hegemon, fears that its position will be shaken, and that China's rise will affect its position in the world political and economic order, which is a concrete manifestation of malicious obstruction of the rising developing power-China. .
The unilateralism and hegemonic thinking of the United States is doomed to be futile, and the United States, which is bucking the trend, is heading for a lack of help.
The occurrence of the Meng Wanzhou incident revealed nakedly the "unilateralism" pursued by the United States.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying stated on September 25 that the allegations of "fraud" against Ms. Meng Wanzhou were purely fabricated.
Even HSBC, which the U.S. refers to as a "victim," has issued documents sufficient to prove Ms. Meng's innocence.
"The US government concocted the Meng Wanzhou incident not for legal reasons. Its real purpose was to suppress Chinese high-tech companies and obstruct the development of China's science and technology. What the Canadian government did was an accomplice." Daming said.
In recent years, the "Five Eyes Alliance Intelligence Sharing System" led by the United States has been extremely active.
This intelligence sharing mechanism established by the five countries of the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, through secret cooperation, has long violated international law and the basic norms of international relations, and implemented large-scale, organized, and non-discriminatory networks against foreign governments, companies, and individuals. Stealing secrets and monitoring.
In addition to sharing intelligence, the United States has also frequently encouraged the "Five Eyes Alliance" to unify its stand and calibre, under the guise of "human rights" and "freedom" to interfere in China's internal affairs on the issues of Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
The United States has also coerced the "Five Eyes Alliance" to squeeze and suppress Chinese high-tech companies, including Huawei, and prevent them from participating in bids for mobile communication equipment and technology of all countries in the alliance.
However, even if "Bao Tuan" acts as a "beater", members of the "Five Eyes Alliance" cannot completely escape the situation of being suppressed by the United States.
In the Meng Wanzhou incident, Canada’s judicial system was independent, but it was restrained by the United States’ “long-arm jurisdiction” principle.
Some commentators said: The United States will arrest the people of any country if Canada asks it, and then hold the people and wait for the United States to say how to deal with it. Is this Canada the 51st state of the United States?
As a tool of the United States, other members of the "Five Eyes Alliance" may also be involuntary. An anxious United States is using a strong Cold War mentality and a zero-sum game to kidnap allies and hurt the interests of allies more and more deeply.
German international political scholar Oliver Fox believes that the "five eyes" are actually "1 big eye + 4 small eyes". The United States is the absolute protagonist, but the "4 small eyes" do not want to obey 100%, but There is still no way to escape the control of the United States.
Since the discovery of geography in the 15th century, economic globalization has continuously converged from an initial trickle into a rolling wave sweeping the world. It is the inevitable result of the evolution of historical logic, practical logic and theoretical logic, and its development trend is irreversible.
Since World War II, the United Nations, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization, as organizers of global public goods, have promoted the formation of a more effective global governance system and maintained the peace, progress and prosperity of the world.
"For a big country, the decline of ideas is more dangerous than the decline of strength." Deputy Foreign Minister Le Yucheng said bluntly: "In the era of multipolarization and globalization in the 21st century, one cannot still think about looking for tools in the Cold War toolbox. Every day, he wonders how to contain other countries, pull "small circles", engage in group confrontation, and act according to the law of the jungle. These musty stale ideas will definitely not work in today's world. They will only harm others and themselves, and will eventually be affected by the times. abandon."
On June 22, at the 47th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Belarus made a joint speech on behalf of 65 countries, emphasizing that Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet affairs are China’s internal affairs and should not be interfered by outsiders.
Support China's implementation of "One Country, Two Systems" in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
The 6 member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council collectively sent letters to support China's position, and more than 20 countries supported China in the form of individual statements.
"More than 90 countries have expressed support for China and said'no' to anti-China'small groups'. This is the righteous voice of the international community and true multilateralism." Le Yucheng said.
Dare to fight, strengthen the application of international rules, actively participate in the formulation of international rules, and earnestly safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests
In recent years, the United States has continuously imposed sanctions on Chinese companies and used various means to restrict the development of Chinese companies.
In April 2020, the US think tank "New American Security Center" released a report "The New Arsenal of Sino-US Competition-Coercive Economic Measures", revealing the six types of coercive economic measures adopted by the United States in recent years: tariffs, exports Regulation, investment restrictions on China, financial sanctions, restrictions on the import of products related to China, and enforcement tools.
From the ZTE case to the Meng Wanzhou case, the United States used its "long-arm jurisdiction" to attack my country's key enterprises and personnel.
No matter when and where, as long as a company has traded in U.S. dollars, signed contracts denominated in U.S. dollars, or sent and stored mail only through an e-mail server located in the United States, the U.S. government believes that it has jurisdiction over the company.
Its basis is the United States’ Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
According to the law, the U.S. government "can arrest almost any employee of a foreign company at will, or even throw him into prison and sentence him to heavy sentences."
"From the French Alstom case, the BNP Paribas case to the Meng Wanzhou case, the numerous cases of long-arm jurisdiction implemented by the United States show that once the United States regards certain countries and companies as threats, it will do whatever it takes through the so-called legal channels. Suppress." said Huo Zhengxin, a professor and doctoral supervisor at China University of Political Science and Law.
In the face of the perverse actions of the United States, we must not only dare to fight, but also be good at fighting, especially to use international rules to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests.
After learning about Meng Wanzhou’s unreasonable detention, the Chinese government immediately made solemn representations, stated its solemn stand, and provided consular assistance to Meng Wanzhou as soon as possible.
Since then, the Chinese government has always strongly urged Canada to release Meng Wanzhou and effectively protect his legitimate rights and interests.
On July 26, during the high-level Sino-US meeting in Tianjin, China presented two lists to the United States. In the error correction list, China urged the United States to withdraw the extradition of Meng Wanzhou.
In September last year and January this year, the Ministry of Commerce successively promulgated the "Regulations on the List of Unreliable Entities" and the "Measures for Blocking the Improper Extraterritorial Application of Foreign Laws and Measures."
In June this year, the "Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law of the People's Republic of China" was promulgated and implemented, focusing on counter-sanctions, anti-interference, and countering long-arm jurisdiction, and enriched the legal "toolbox" for coping with challenges and preventing risks.
"The struggle between countries in the world today is a kind of legal war in a sense. We must be good at using rule of law thinking and legal weapons to fight." Huo Zhengxin said that for the Chinese government, it is necessary to continuously enrich and improve foreign-related struggles. The legal “toolbox” of China has accelerated the formation of a comprehensive system of foreign-related laws and regulations.
For example, although the anti-foreign sanctions law has been promulgated, there are currently only 16 articles. The specific clauses and supporting measures need to be further improved.
Another example is that through continuous amendments to laws, my country’s current laws, such as the National Security Law, Criminal Law, Anti-Monopoly Law, Personal Data Law, Securities Law, and Export Control Law, have formulated some extraterritorially applicable provisions. The next step is to pass legislative interpretation or judicial Explain to make it more complete.
Administrative law enforcement agencies and judicial agencies must continue to determine the specific boundaries of the extraterritorial application of our country's laws through law enforcement and judicial practice.
While strengthening the application of international rules, actively participate in the formulation of international rules.
The establishment and normal operation of the AIIB and the BRICS New Development Bank have been highly recognized by the international community; the “Belt and Road” initiative has received positive responses from most countries; in areas such as tackling climate change, China has become an important part of the Paris Agreement. , To play an important role in promoting net zero emissions.
In the field of anti-corruption, in November 2014, the APEC Leaders' Informal Meeting passed the "Beijing Anti-Corruption Declaration", becoming the first anti-corruption international cooperation document formulated by China; in September 2016, China promoted the G20 The Hangzhou Summit of the leaders adopted the "G20 Advanced Principles on Anti-Corruption, Recovery and Recovery of Procurement", once again in the form of an international document under the multilateral framework, clearly proposed China's proposal to strengthen international anti-corruption pragmatic cooperation; in June 2021, "Prevention and Challenges and Measures to Fight Corruption and Strengthen International Cooperation" At the United Nations General Assembly, China put forward the "Four Perseverance" political propositions on international anti-corruption cooperation, contributing Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to the global governance of anti-corruption.
The Meng Wanzhou incident reflects to a certain extent the storms that Chinese companies have to face on the road to becoming bigger and stronger.
From Xiaomi’s victory in suing the US government to Meng Wanzhou’s release and returning to China, the Chinese government and Chinese companies have accumulated valuable experience in the “real combat”.
The Meng Wanzhou incident fully shows that China does not cause trouble, but it is not afraid of it.
The Chinese people have never bullied, oppressed, or enslaved the people of other countries, and will never allow any foreign forces to bully, oppress, or enslav us.
Today, the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical process.
In the future, we will surely seek development in a more unstable and uncertain world.
Always stand on the right side of history, always stand on the side of human progress, defying wind and waves, facing challenges, and moving forward unimpeded, no force can shake the status of our great motherland, no force can stop China's progress!