Huawei Executive Free from US-Canada Grip
After detainment in Canada for over a 1,000 days, Brooklyn prosecutors have come to an agreement to free Meng Wanzhou in exchange for two Canadian prisoners - and, Huawei did not plead guilty.
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Meng Wanzhou, the 49-year-old "princess" of tech giant Huawei, exits her home in Vancouver, Canada (Bloomberg).
What has been branded as a "purely political" battle in the US economic war on China has come to an end on Friday: Canada has finally released Huawei executive, Meng Wanzhou, who had been under house arrest for three years.
Wanzhou, the daughter of the billionaire founder of tech giant Huawei, whose charges are to be dropped then suspended, is returning to China for the first time since the United States threatened to extradite her at Vancouver international airport in 2018. The agreement to release her was issued by New York prosecutors.
In return, China released two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who were put on trial for espionage in 2021. Kovrig was a former diplomat and Spavor a businessman. Meng and the two men are on their way back to their home countries after the charges were dropped.
Accused of lying about business with Iran and violating US sanctions, Huawei did not plead guilty as the arrest was deemed politically motivated and a part of the US economic war on China.
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau commented, "These two men have gone through an unbelievably difficult ordeal," continuing, "for the past 1,000 days, they have shown strength, perseverance, resilience and grace."
The two Michaels were arrested days after Meng was detained in Canada, who was "mostly away from her husband and children, in a country that is not her home," as stated by Tony Paisana, her lawyer's colleague.
After the court hearing in Vancouver, Meng commented on her experience as a detainee: "Over the past three years, my life has been turned upside down. It was a disruptive time for me as a mother, wife and a company executive... But I believe every cloud has a silver lining. It really was an invaluable experience in my life." Reflecting on her experience, she also mused: "As the saying goes, the greater the difficulty, the greater the growth."
Chinese and Canadian officials at their embassies in Washington have not immediately commented on the matter.
The arrest has worsened relations not only between China and Washington, but also between the former and Ottawa, as the court, before the hearing on Friday, was entering its final back-and-forth which may have really lead to Wanzhou's extradition.
The arrest of Meng was unique to its kind, as Meng is thought to be the "princess" of Huawei, where she is to take charge of the company in the future.
