The Premier is keeping an eye on the court process involving detained Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, as a Vancouver judge grants her bail pending an extradition hearing to the U-S

Speaking on NL’s Inside #bcpoli John Horgan says not only is he keeping an eye on the situation he also took it directly to the Prime Minister.

“We have been working very cooperatively with the Consul General here in Vancouver on behalf of the province of British Columbia. But international relations is the responsibility of the federal government. Again I spoke to the Prime Minister. The arrest of the Huawei executive took place when we were in Montreal.”

Montreal was the location of the First Ministers meeting last week.

Horgan says he is also concerned about the rising tensions between Canada, and by extension B.C, and China noting the recently cancelled Chinese leg of the provincial forestry Asian trade junket.

“We did have an allegation in the air.”

He says the province tries to separate China and the economic opportunities there and the concerns about illegal activity including fentanyl and money laundering.

“We are trying to keep trade relationships open but also speaking candidly, as the Prime Minister did, about human rights and potential illegal activity and money laundering in British Columbia and Canada but I think we can do both. I think there is certainly a lot of illegal activity from other jurisdictions around the globe. To focus exclusively on China with a massive population I think misses the point that we always have to be vigilant.”

Meng Wanzhou has been ordered to put up $10 million in bail with $7 million of it in cash.

She must also stay in Vancouver and wear an monitoring ankle bracelet.

Pending extradition hearings to the United States her next court date is February 6, 2019.