BEIJING, July 28 (Reuters) - A Chinese government-backed
website took aim at HSBC Holdings PLC on Tuesday,
accusing the Asia-focussed lender of "maliciously" playing a
role in the arrest of Huawei Technologies' chief financial
officer.
Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou's is fighting against extradition
from Canada to the United States, where she is accused of bank
fraud for misleading HSBC about Huawei's relationship with a
company operating in Iran, putting HSBC at risk of fines and
penalties for breaking U.S. sanctions on Tehran.
Anger in China over the treatment of Meng and Huawei, the
world's biggest telecoms equipment maker, has led to criticism
of London-headquartered HSBC intensifying in recent days, with
the latest salvo fired by website China.com.cn.
"The role of HSBC in the Meng Wanzhou incident is already
clear. HSBC's credibility has also been wiped out," said the
commentary http://www.china.com.cn/opinion/2020-07/28/content_76319622.html
posted on the site backed by the State Council Information
Office and the China International Publishing Group.
"In the U.S. government's political pursuit of Huawei, HSBC
was the one who 'handed the knife'," it said in a column written
under the byline Tang Hua, and signed by three editors.
HSBC had issued a statement on Saturday saying it had not
participated in the decision by the U.S. Department of Justice
to investigate Huawei and that it had no "malice" against the
company.
The Chinese website article dismissed HSBC's denial as
"meaningless".
"Now, wallowing in degradation and with its reputation at
rock bottom, HSBC may struggle to continue to enjoy treatment in
China where it can break the pot it eats food from," the column
said.
A spokeswoman for HSBC in China declined to comment on the
article.
HSBC, which last month broke from its usual political
neutrality to back Beijing's imposition of a controversial
national security law in Hong Kong, generates the bulk of its
revenue in Hong Kong and mainland China.
Other official Chinese media outlets including the People's
Daily newspaper and the China Global Television Network have
also targeted HSBC in the past week.
(Reporting by Cheng Leng and Gabriel Crossley; Editing by
Sumeet Chatterjee and Simon Cameron-Moore)
HSBC Holdings (HSBA)