Former U.S. ambassador to Canada, Bruce Heyman, said in an interview on Sunday that American President Donald Trump just allowed for the Huawei issue to get "too complicated," with Ottawa getting dragged in the dispute.
In an interview with Global News Canada, Heyman argued that Trump's handling of the Huawei issue "really put Canada in a tough spot." He added that whether the U.S. government's claims against the Chinese tech giant are true or not, "you don't negotiate that away in a trade agreement."
Since Trump has been changing his stance over the Huawei ban, Heyman believes American allies are finding it harder to follow suit with the U.S. president's calls for a blanket ban.
Some Canadian telecom firms have argued after Trump's Huawei ban that the Chinese tech provider offers more affordable gadget parts. The cheaper yet quality offer is also necessary for projects that target the pursuit of 5G technology and other advanced innovations.
It is worth noting that Trump's statements last week about potentially easing up on Huawei if the issue will be included in his administration's trade deal with Beijing have raised debates on the real purpose of his tirades against the Chinese firm.
Meanwhile, some experts have called on Ottawa to consider working with Huawei instead of following Trump's request to ban the Chinese provider's equipment. Some industry analysts believe that the company can help with Canada's initiatives on upgrading the country's technology sector.
Canada wasn't initially involved in the now triangular row involving Huawei, the White House, and Ottawa. Canadian authorities arrested Huawei's Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Meng Wanzhou in December upon the U.S. government's request. Officials said Meng violated Iran sanctions but the company denied every accusation.
Following Meng's arrest, China arrested two Canadians on grounds of national security. After Trump signed the Huawei ban, Chinese officials formally arrested the two Canadians accused of spying.
Due to Trump's hints about the probability of mentioning Huawei in the long overdue trade deal with China, some analysts are expecting Meng's lawyers to use this aspect of the case as a ground for pointing out that the arrest was politically inclined.
Amid the issue, Canada has yet to officially ban the Chinese tech behemoth from working with Canadian companies. Security specialists are currently reviewing the firm's technology for potentially risky links.
Huawei has also reassured Canadian telecom carriers that it can still provide placed orders and keep up with existing joint ventures despite the row with Trump administration. The statement came last week, following Google's move of banning Honor smartphones from accessing Android apps.
