"I have been told they [the US Justice Department] will proceed," David MacNaughton, Canada's Ambassador to the United States, told CNN on Monday. "We have had no indication that they will not."
The arrest of the Huawei executive, Meng Wanzhou, has strained relations between Canada, the United States and China. It has also raised questions about how far the US government may go in its efforts to clamp down on Huawei, which it regards as a national security threat.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated its request for Meng to be released, claiming the United States and Canada had abused their extradition treaty.
Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters at a regular briefing on Tuesday that Canada "made a serious mistake at the beginning" and Meng's case is not a "regular judicial case."
"We also urge the US to correct their mistakes and withdraw the arrest warrant for Meng Wanzhou," Hua said.
Meng, the daughter of Huawei's founder, was arrested in Vancouver last month by Canadian authorities acting on behalf of the United States. The US government alleges that she helped Huawei dodge US sanctions on Iran.
A spokesperson from Canada's Justice Ministry said it hasn't yet received the full extradition request from the United States. The deadline for filing the formal request is January 30.
The US Justice Department didn't respond to a request for comment outside of regular office hours.
Meng and Huawei have denied any wrongdoing.
Canada maintains that Meng's detention is a legal matter, and that the country is following national laws and international obligations.
That position was undermined by US President Donald Trump, who last month suggested he may intervene in the legal saga if it would help his pursuit of a trade deal with China.
MacNaughton said he has "sought clarification that this is a legal matter and not a chip in a trade dispute."
"There are Canadians being detained and one sentenced to death," he added. "This is serious stuff."
Since Meng's arrest, China has detained two Canadians on suspicion of "activities that endangered China's national security." Last week, another Canadian was sentenced to death after a court convicted him of drug smuggling.
MacNaughton first made remarks about the case Monday in an interview with Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail.
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