Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross Says Huawei Arrest Has Nothing to Do with Trade
*By Justin Chermol and Carlo Versano*
The arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou was an "enforcement action, not a trade-related action," according to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.
Ross told Cheddar's Megan Pratz that the arrest of Meng in Vancouver was a response to her flouting of sanctions ー and not a retaliatory strike or warning shot against a major Chinese telecom corporation. Asked by Cheddar whether Meng's charges would affect trade negotiations between the U.S. and China, he replied: "Doesn't seem to have so far."
When asked by Cheddar if China also viewed Meng's arrest as an enforcement action, Ross said: "So far, they've said that."
The arrest of the Huawei CFO occurred on December 1, the same day President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to a 90-day trade truce on tariffs. Since then, the arrest has thrown a wrench into the delicate negotiations between the two world superpowers.
While Ross said the arrest should not affect trade negotiations, Trump has suggested otherwise.
In an interview with [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump/trump-says-would-intervene-in-arrest-of-chinese-executive-idUSKBN1OB01P), Trump said he would consider intervening with the U.S. Justice Department to influence the case if he thought it would help talks with China. "If I think it’s good for what will be certainly the largest trade deal ever made ... what’s good for national security – I would certainly intervene," he said.
Stepping up a feud with Washington over technology and security, China's government on Sunday told users of computer equipment deemed sensitive to stop buying products from the biggest U.S. memory chipmaker, Micron Technology Inc.
Stocks are moving tentatively Monday, as Wall Street waits to see whether a pivotal meeting in the afternoon will help the U.S. government avoid a potentially disastrous default on its debt.
Scores of Boston University students turned their backs on the head of one of Hollywood's biggest studios, and some shouted “pay your writers,” as he gave the school's commencement address Sunday in a stadium where protesters supporting the Hollywood writers' strike picketed outside.
Gov. Ron DeSantis is asking that a federal judge be disqualified from the First Amendment lawsuit filed by Disney against the Florida governor and his appointees, claiming the jurist's prior statements in other cases have raised questions about his impartiality on the state's efforts to take over Disney World's governing body.
Ford CEO Jim Farley says the company will stop competing in over-served market segments and instead will place big bets on connected vehicles and digital services. The days of Ford being all things to all people are over, Farley said at the company's capital markets day event Monday.
The European Union slapped Meta with a record $1.3 billion privacy fine Monday and ordered it to stop transferring users personal information across the Atlantic by October, the latest salvo in a decadelong case sparked by U.S. cybersnooping fears.
Joanne Rodriguez, founder and CEO of Mycocycle Inc., joined Cheddar News to discuss how her company uses mushrooms to decarbonize construction waste. "Mycocycle was started to address the waste mismanagement issue we have," she said. "Globally, we've got overflowing landfills that are creating human and environmental health issues."
