Friday, December 4, 2020
Will you return to China soon?
Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer Talks With USA
Huawei’s chief financial officer Meng Wenzhou has been stuck in Canada for two years. The US accused him of violating Iran sanctions. Now both sides are discussing a deal. If Meng pleads guilty at some points, the authorities will allow him to return home, it is said.
In the case of the chief financial officer of Canadian network equipment manufacturer Huawei, which is stranded in Canada, there is apparently agitation. US prosecutors are negotiating an agreement with Meng Wenzhou representatives that will allow the manager to return to China, according to informed sources. In return, Meng will have to plead guilty in a criminal case that has strained Beijing’s relations with the US and Canada.
Meng was arrested based on a US arrest warrant during a stopover in Vancouver in 2018 and has since been released under strict conditions, but is not allowed to leave the country. US authorities have accused Huawei’s founder Ren Zhengfei’s oldest daughter of bank fraud in connection with violations of Iran’s sanctions and demanded her extradition from the US.
Now as part of “an agreement on prosecution under consideration”, Meng will have to accept some of the charges leveled against him. However, prosecutors will agree to potentially avoid the charges and later drop them if they cooperate. Until now, the 48-year-old is said to have rejected such a deal because he believes he has done nothing wrong.
Two Canadians are expected to be released in China
An agreement with the US will not only allow Meng to return to China, but will also address a problem that has put enormous pressure on Beijing’s relations with Ottawa. It could also pave the way for China to release two Canadians arrested on espionage charges soon after Meng’s arrest.
Negotiations on some potential people are scheduled to continue this week, some said. He hoped to reach an agreement before Donald Trump’s term ended. Representatives of Huawei also hope that President-elect Joe Biden’s government can operate a little more generously.
According to the insider, talks between the US and Meng are not part of a larger deal with Huawei. It was not until February that further allegations were made against the group, such as the theft of trade secrets from six US technology companies.
