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Getting caught between two sovereign countries<\/a> is never a fun experience for a bank<\/a>, even if the worst that happens is that the lesser of them relieves you of the obligation to do business there<\/a>. But China is not Argentina—certainly not if you are the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp.—nor is there really a lesser power in a dispute between China and the United States. Oh, and did we mention that we’re talking about HSBC, which quite frankly has enough problems<\/a> without finding itself a pawn in the growing cold war<\/a> between the world’s two superpowers and largest economies?<\/p>\n HSBC was already walking a very fine line, forced by business necessities and amorality to side with China<\/a> over its decision to tear up its 1997 treaty with the U.K. and any pretense to human rights in one of its namesake cities<\/a>, a move condemned by and ratcheting up tensions with the U.S. It also probably couldn’t have foreseen the current unpleasantness when, back in 2016, the Justice Department asked for some information about a little Chinese telecommunications giant and then-HSBC client, Huawei<\/a>. Not that it could have done very much even if it had, since thanks to a 2012 money laundering settlement<\/a>, the DoJ pretty well had HSBC over a barrel.<\/p>\n Anyway, this cooperation with U.S. authorities four years ago is all of a sudden big news in China, with government mouthpiece the People’s Daily<\/em> accusing HSBC—which, again, derives most of its revenue from China—of “setting a trap” for Huawei in conjunction with the DoJ, which trap led Huawei to allegedly violate U.S. sanctions and eventually to another of the issues exacerbating U.S.-China tensions, the arrest and proposed extradition of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou.<\/p>\n