Donald Trump, the US president, has said he would intervene in the case of arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou if it would help secure a trade deal with Beijing.  “If I think it’s good for the country, if I think it’s good for what will be certainly the largest trade deal ever made – which is a very important thing – what’s good for national security – I would certainly intervene if I thought it was necessary,” he said in an interview on Tuesday with Reuters. Ms Meng, 46, the chief financial officer of the Chinese telecoms giant and daughter of its founder, was granted a £6m bail deal, also on Tuesday, by a Canadian court while she awaits an extradition hearing to the US following her arrest on December 1 at Vancouver airport.  She has been accused of conspiracy to defraud banks after the company allegedly violated sanctions against Iran. The charges have been denied.  China on Sunday summoned the US ambassador to Beijing to lodge its “strong protests”, calling the case “extremely egregious.” Her contentious arrest comes amid an increasingly bitter trade dispute between Washington and Beijing, and the growing row over the case destabilised stock markets further last week.  Protestors gather outside the Supreme Court in Vancouver Credit: James McDonald/Bloomberg Ms Meng’s detention has also soured Beijing’s relations with Canada, with China warning Ottawa of “grave consequences” if she was not immediately released.  China’s arrest on Monday of Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat, immediately prompted speculation of a retaliatory move by Beijing.  The detention of Mr Kovrig, a China expert currently working for the International Crisis Group as its North East Asia adviser, was being taken “very seriously” said Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister.  China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday said it had no information about his case, but then claimed that the ICG, where Mr Kovrig is a Hong-Kong-based analyst, was not registered in China and that its activities in the country were illegal.  “I do not have information to provide you here,” spokesman Lu Kang said when asked about Mr Kovrig. “If there is such a thing, please do not worry, it is assured that China’s relevant departments will definitely handle it according to law.” US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are having a trade spat Credit: Jim Watson/AFP Because Mr Kovrig’s organisation is not registered as a nongovernmental organisation in China, “once its staff become engaged in activities in China, it has already violated the law,” Mr Lu said, in comments reported by the Associated Press.  He also repeated China’s demand for the immediate release of Ms Meng, whose company has strong connections to the country’s government and military.  “Our request is very clear, that is, the Canadian side should immediately release the detained Ms. Meng Wanzhou and to protect her legitimate rights and interests,” he said. Mr Kovrig was previously a diplomat in China and elsewhere. His current employer said he was taken into custody by the Beijing Bureau of Chinese State Security, which handles intelligence and counterintelligence matters, during one of his regular visits to China’s capital.  Rob Malley, president of the Brussels-based group, said Canadian consular officers had not been given access to Mr Kovrig, who he believed had travelled to Beijing on personal matters.  His sudden detention sent chills through the foreign charity, research and journalist communities, many of whom rose to his defence on social media.  Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat, has been arrested in China Credit: AP “Those who track human-rights cases in China worry that people around the world are becoming numb to their concerns,” wrote journalist Joanna Chiu, who declared herself to be a friend of Mr Kovrig, in the Vancouver Star. “Please, pay attention to what is happening with Michael’s case.” In her opinion piece, Guy Saint-Jacques, a former Canadian ambassador to China, said he believed the case was “part of China’s efforts to put pressure on Canada on the Huawei case.” Others pointed to similarities with the arrest of Canadians Julia and Kevin Garrett in 2014, in a move widely seen as a reprisal for Canada’s apprehension of Chinese citizen Su Bin, who was later sentenced by the US to nearly four years in prison for his role in the hacking of technical data for military aircraft.  Meanwhile, what appeared to be a screenshot of a bailed Ms Meng, who may now reside in one of her luxury Vancouver properties, thanking Huawei and her country, generated praise on Chinese social media.  In a statement on Sina Weibo, China’s answer to Twitter, Huawei stressed it had complied with all international laws and sanctions.   “We look forward to a timely and fair closure of this incident from the American and Canadian governments… We believe the Canadian and American legal systems will draw a fair conclusion.” Additional reporting: Paula Jin

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