BEIJING (Dispatches) – Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou arrived in China on Saturday after three years of house arrest in Canada fighting extradition to the United States for allegedly violating U.S. sanctions.
State broadcaster CCTV showed Meng’s plane landing on Saturday in southern Shenzhen airport where a red carpet had been laid out for her arrival and a crowd of several hundred had gathered in support.
Huawei employees waited on the tarmac as a staffer in full protective gear held a bouquet of flowers.
Officials said Meng reached an agreement with U.S. prosecutors to end the bank fraud case against her. The move allowed her to leave Canada, relieving a point of tension between China and the United States.
CCTV carried a statement by the Huawei executive, written as her plane flew over the North Pole, avoiding U.S. airspace.
Her eyes were “blurring with tears” as she approached “the embrace of the great motherland”, Meng said. “Without a strong motherland, I wouldn’t have the freedom I have today.”
“Over the last three years my life has been turned upside down,” Meng was reported as saying before leaving Canadian soil. “It was a disruptive time for me as a mother, a wife and as a company executive. But I believe every cloud has a silver lining. It really was an invaluable experience in my life. I will never forget all the good wishes I received.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian reposted on social media a report on Meng having left Canada after the deal was reached, saying, “Welcome home.”
Meng, the 49-year-old chief finance officer of Huawei and the daughter of the company’s founder Ren Zhengfei, had been fighting against extradition to the U.S. since she was arrested in Vancouver nearly three years ago.
Former U.S. president Donald Trump in 2019 accused Huawei of posing a threat to America’s national security and announced that the U.S. had blacklisted the Chinese company, banning it from accessing US technology.
Following Meng’s release from detention, China freed two Canadians — businessman Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig — held in the country on spying charges.
The two Canadians had been kept in prison in China for more than 1,000 days.