At a news conference on March 8, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi endorsed Huawei and its chief financial officer for filing lawsuits challenging a U.S. ban on purchases of its equipment and the Huawei CFO's arrest by Canada. He said  “We support the company and individual concerned taking up the weapons of the law to protect their interests and refusing to be victimized like a silent lamb,” raising a fist in emphasis.

He said "What we aim to protect today is not just one company’s rights, but the reasonable rights of a nation and a people to develop." Wang Yi described Meng Wanzhou’s arrest in Canada following a U.S. request on fraud charges as not purely a legal matter, but rather “an instance of malicious political suppression” and promised that Beijing will take all necessary steps to protect the rights of Chinese companies. He went a step further—linking Huawei’s efforts to counter U.S. pressure with China’s goals to become a technology power and said  “What we aim to protect today is not just one company’s rights, but the reasonable rights of a nation and a people to develop.”  Asked by reporters about U.S.-China trade tensions and an overall increase in frictions, Wang Yi struck a firm tone on defending China’s interests but also offered conciliatory remarks about cooperation. He said “A return to the outdated Cold War mentality goes against present-day trends, has no future and would be deeply unpopular.” “Decoupling from China means decoupling from opportunities, decoupling from the future, and in some ways, decoupling from the world.” Wang Yi also appealed to the region saying “Europe will surely keep its fundamental long-term interests in mind and pursue a China policy that is consistent, independent and forward-leaning.”