Huawei sacks employee arrested on spying charges in Poland

Chinese telecom giant Huawei has fired a Chinese employee who was arrested in Poland over espionage allegations, saying he had harmed the company’s global reputation, a state-run newspaper said Saturday.

Wang Weijing was arrested for “personal reasons”, the company said in a statement to the Global Times, as Huawei apparently seeks to distance itself from the case as the firm faces Western fears that it could act as a proxy for China’s security apparatus.

“This incident created harmful effects on Huawei’s global reputation,” the company said.

Citing management rules in company contracts, Huawei said it “has decided to immediately terminate its employer relationship with Wang Weijing.”

“Huawei has always abided by applicable laws and regulations of the country where it is located… and requires all employees to abide by the country’s laws and regulations,” it said.

Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, who is also the daughter of the company’s founder, was detained in Canada last month on a U.S. extradition bid.

Her arrest follows U.S. efforts to blacklist the company internationally over security concerns.

In apparent retaliation, China has since detained two Canadians — a former diplomat and a business consultant — on suspicion of endangering national security.