Huawei Technologies Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou waves upon arriving from Canada at Shenzhen Baoan International Airport, in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China September 25, 2021. CCTV via REUTERS TV.
SHENZHEN, China 鈥� Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou arrived in China on Saturday, ending her near three-year U.S. extradition fight, the same day two Canadians detained by Beijing for more than 1,000 days returned home, potentially paving the way for improved ties between China and the two western allies.
Meng, the daughter of Huawei Technologies founder Ren Zhengfei, was allowed to go home after reaching an agreement with U.S. prosecutors on Friday to end a bank fraud case against her.
The extradition drama has been a central source of discord between Beijing and Washington, with Chinese officials signalling that the case had to be dropped to help end a diplomatic stalemate.
Two Canadians detained by Chinese authorities just days after Meng鈥檚 arrest 鈥� Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor 鈥� were embraced on the tarmac by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after they landed in Calgary.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e shown incredible strength, resilience, and perseverance,鈥� Trudeau said in a Twitter post with photos of him welcoming them home. 鈥淜now that Canadians across the country will continue to be here for you, just as they have been.鈥�
In the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, Meng wore a patriotic red-colored dress as she exited a plane to be greeted by well-wishers.
鈥淚鈥檓 finally back home,鈥� Meng was quoted as saying by the Global Times tabloid backed by the ruling Communist Party. 鈥淭he waiting in a foreign country was full of suffering. I was speechless the moment my feet touched Chinese soil.鈥�
Chinese state media welcomed Meng back but were silent about Kovrig and Spavor, who were released hours after Meng on Friday.
Huawei said in a statement that it 鈥渓ooked forward to seeing Ms. Meng returning home safely to be reunited with her family.鈥� It said it would continue to defend itself against U.S. charges.
The agreement opened U.S. President Joe Biden to criticism from Washington鈥檚 China hawks who argue his administration is capitulating to China and one of its top companies at the center of a global technology rivalry between the two countries.
Some Republican senators swiftly condemned Meng鈥檚 release and urged the White House to address the U.S. Congress on the issue.
鈥淭he release of Ms. Meng raises serious questions about President Biden鈥檚 ability and willingness to confront the threat posed by Huawei and the Chinese Communist Party,鈥� said Marco Rubio in a text message to Reuters.
Senator Jim Risch said in a statement that the deal was 鈥渁 victory for one of the world鈥檚 most brutal and cruel regimes,鈥� and would embolden the Communist Party 鈥渢o use other foreign citizens as bargaining chips because it now knows hostage taking is a successful way to get what it wants.鈥�
Some Chinese commentators felt otherwise.
鈥淏y agreeing to let Meng return to China, the Biden administration is signaling that it hopes to clear the mess left behind by the former Trump administration,鈥� said Wu Xinbo, dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University.
鈥楤lurring with tears鈥�
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV carried a statement by Meng, written as her plane flew over the North Pole, avoiding U.S. airspace. Meng said her eyes were 鈥渂lurring with tears鈥� as she approached 鈥渢he embrace of the great motherland.鈥�
Meng was detained in December 2018 in Vancouver after a New York court issued an arrest warrant, saying she tried to cover up attempts by Huawei-linked companies to sell equipment to Iran in breach of U.S. sanctions.
Acting U.S. attorney Nicole Boeckmann said Meng had 鈥渢aken responsibility for her principal role in perpetuating a scheme to defraud a global financial institution.鈥�
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the charges against her had been 鈥渇abricated鈥� in order to suppress the country鈥檚 high-tech industries.
At the airport in Shenzhen, Meng鈥檚 hometown, a crowd of well-wishers chanted patriotic slogans and held aloft red banners to welcome her return.
鈥淭he fact that Meng Wanzhou can be declared not guilty and released is a huge victory in politics and diplomacy for people in China,鈥� said Liu Dan, who was among the crowd.
State news agency Xinhua attributed Meng鈥檚 release to the 鈥渦nremitting efforts of the Chinese government鈥�.
Hu Xijin, editor in chief of the Global Times, wrote on Twitter that 鈥渋nternational relations have fallen into chaos鈥� as a result of Meng鈥檚 鈥減ainful three years鈥�.
He added, 鈥淣o arbitrary detention of Chinese people is allowed.鈥�
However, neither Hu nor other local media have mentioned the release of Spavor and Kovrig, and reactions on China鈥檚 Twitter-like Weibo social media platform have been few and far between.
China鈥檚 foreign ministry has not commented publicly.
China has previously denied engaging in 鈥渉ostage diplomacy鈥�, insisting that the arrest and detention of the Canadians was not tied in any way to the proceedings against Meng.
Spavor was accused of supplying photographs of military equipment to Kovrig and sentenced to 11 years in jail in August. Kovrig had still been awaiting sentencing.