'This is not rule of law': detention of Huawei workers sparks backlash

Arrests have raised questions in China about the company's ties to the state and the wider tech industry

Around this time last year, Zeng Meng, 39, was on holiday in Thailand, having dinner with his father. Suddenly he was surrounded by Chinese police. Plainclothes officers stood on each side of him, their hands on his shoulders, while another filmed the scene.

The officers showed their IDs and said they had been dispatched from Shenzhen, the headquarters of Zeng's former employer Huawei, where he was wanted on suspicion of violating trade secrets. Having no other choice, Zeng went with them, accompanied by four Thai officers. Within a week, he had been extradited to China and formally arrested.