It’s also not clear what this arrest means for upcoming trade talks. If the administration’s aim is to build pressure and create leverage against China, this approach is unlikely to work. In his comments to NPR, the public radio network, on Thursday, John R. Bolton, President Trump’s national security adviser, was reluctant to directly discuss the arrest. Instead he emphasized issues like intellectual property — signaling a seriousness about tackling structural problems on trade. This is a worthy goal, but it is unlikely that Ms. Meng’s arrest will, by itself, produce much leverage. Taking aim at a single company, even one as valuable as Huawei, is unlikely to shift deep-seated interests and practices in the Chinese economy.

The administration would instead be wise to more assertively send the message that the arrest is a law enforcement action separate from trade talks. Suggestions by anonymous administration officials that Ms. Meng’s arrest could be used as leverage in upcoming trade discussions undermines the message about national security and, frankly, seems like an afterthought.

If Ms. Meng and Huawei violated the law, then the United States has every right to seek her arrest and bring her to trial. Suggesting that this principle is for sale would cheapen the idea that the United States cares about playing by the rules. It would also signal to American allies and to China that American concerns about technology theft or violations of sanctions against Iran can simply be traded away for other priorities. Using the arrest for political ends could also encourage China and other nations to employ more heavy-handed tactics against American businesses in the future.

The arrest also has some potential second-order effects. Although Beijing’s public response to the Huawei arrest has so far been measured, Chinese social media forums are already full of suggestions for potential retaliatory moves. If tensions escalate, there could be new risks for American executives working abroad.