: Huawei Executive Returns as China Releases Two Canadians #WorldNEWS SHENZHEN, China — An executive of Chinese global communications giant Huawei Technologies returned from Canada Saturday night

Huawei Executive Returns as China Releases Two Canadians #WorldNEWS
SHENZHEN, China — An executive of Chinese global communications giant Huawei Technologies returned from Canada Saturday night following a legal settlement that also saw the release of two Canadians held by China, potentially bringing closure to a nearly 3-year-long feud embroiling Ottawa, Beijing and Washington.
Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s chief financial officer and the daughter of the company’s founder, arrived Saturday evening aboard a chartered jet provided by flag carrier Air China in the southern technology hub of Shenzhen, where Huawei is based.
Her return, met with a flag-waving group of airline employees, was carried live on state TV, underscoring the degree to which Beijing has linked her case with Chinese nationalism and its rise as a global economic and political power.
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Wearing a red dress matching the color of Chinas flag, Meng thanked the ruling Communist Party and its leader Xi Jinping for supporting her through more than 1,000 days in house arrest in Vancouver, where she owns two multimillion dollar mansions.
“I have finally returned to the warm embrace of the motherland, Meng said. “As an ordinary Chinese citizen going through this difficult time, I always felt the warmth and concern of the party, the nation and the people.
On the same day, former diplomat Michael Kovrig and entrepreneur Michael Spavor were freed and flown back to Canada. They were detained shortly after Canada arrested Meng on a U. S. extradition request in December 2018. Many countries labeled China’s action “hostage politics,” while China accused Ottawa of arbitrary detention.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hugged the pair on the tarmac after they landed in Calgary, Alberta early Saturday, following what amounted to a high-stakes prisoner swap involving China, the U. S. and Canada.
“These two men have been through an unbelievably difficult ordeal. For the past 1,000 days, they have shown strength, perseverance and grace and we are all inspired by that,” Trudeau said earlier Friday.
Meng, 49, reached an agreement with U. S. federal prosecutors that called for fraud charges against her to be dismissed next year. As part of the deal, known as a deferred prosecution agreement, she accepted responsibility for misrepresenting the company’s business dealings in Iran.
Shortly before her return, the Communist Party’s flagship People’s Daily newspaper declared the resolution of the case as a “glorious victory for the Chinese people” achieved through the “unremitting efforts of the Chinese government. ”
“The evidence shows this was purely a case of the political persecution of a Chinese citizen with the purpose of suppressing China’s technological advancement,” the paper said.