"China's position on the Meng Wanzhou case is consistent and clear. The US and Canada abused their bilateral extradition treaty and arbitrarily took compulsory measures against a Chinese citizen without cause. This is entirely a serious political incident that grossly violates the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese citizen," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said in a statement.

"The Chinese government is steadfast in safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens. The Canadian side should immediately correct its mistake, release Ms. Meng and ensure her safe return to China at an early date so as to avoid any continuous harm to China-Canada relations ," he said.

The Supreme Court of British Columbia expects to release the reasons for its decision Wednesday after an initial hearing in the extradition case against Meng – 542 days after her detention at the Vancouver airport at the request of U.S. prosecutors. It enraged China and was followed by a series of punitive measures against Canadian citizens and trade with Canada, reports The Globe And Mail.

Zhao did not elaborate on what further harm to the relationship between the two nations will occur if Meng is not released.

China has already blocked imports of Canadian agricultural goods and initially froze high-level diplomatic contact with the Canadian government, reports The Globe And Mail.