(25 Sep 2021) An executive of Chinese global communications giant Huawei Technologies returned from Canada late on Saturday, following a legal settlement that also saw the release of two Canadians held by China and potentially brought closure to a nearly three-year-long feud embroiling Ottawa, Beijing and Washington.
Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's chief financial officer and the daughter of the company's founder, arrived aboard a chartered jet provided by flag carrier Air China in the southern technology hub of Shenzhen, where Huawei is based.
Her return 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.
A huge crowd of supporters showed up at one exit of the airport's VIP terminal, singing patriotic songs, waving Chinese national flags and putting up signs with a common theme - welcoming the 49-year-old home.
Meng reached an agreement with US 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".
As part of the deal with Meng, which was disclosed in federal court in Brooklyn, the Justice Department agreed to dismiss the fraud charges against her in December 2022 - exactly four years after her arrest - provided that she complies with certain conditions, including not contesting any of the government's factual allegations.
The Justice Department also agreed to drop its request that Meng be extradited to the US, which she had vigorously challenged, ending a process that prosecutors said could have persisted for months.
Huawei is the biggest global supplier of network gear for phone and internet companies and a symbol of China's progress in becoming a technological world power that has received massive government backing.
It has also been a subject of US security and law enforcement concerns, with officials and analysts saying it and other Chinese companies have flouted international rules and norms and stolen technology and vital personal information.
The case against Meng stemmed from a January 2019 indictment from the Justice Department under the administration of former President Donald Trump.
It accused Huawei of stealing trade secrets and using a Hong Kong shell company called Skycom to sell equipment to Iran in violation of US sanctions.
The indictment also charged Meng herself with committing fraud by misleading the HSBC bank about the company's business dealings in Iran.
Huawei has repeatedly denied the US allegations and security concerns about its products.
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