Hawaii CEO and two Canadians free: Will it improve US-China relations?

In this way, the United States and China seem to have resolved the fierce diplomatic conflict that has dragged Canada down. Meng Wancho (49) has been kept at his home in Vancouver since December 2018, until he is extradited to the United States. According to Beijing, his trial is politically motivated.

Chinese authorities released Canadians Michael Spear and Michael Gowrik just hours after a Hawaiian-led female airliner was flown to the city of Shansen on Friday. Beijing saw two spies. Although Beijing has always denied this, their arrest in December 2018 was seen as revenge for Meng’s detention. In August, a Chinese judge sentenced Spewer to 11 years in prison.

Meng was the daughter of Hawaii founder Ren Zhengfei and the company’s financial chairman. During a presentation at the U.S. corporate office in 2013, the United States suspected that he had misled HSBC Bank. He is said to have lied about the relationship between Hawaii and the telecom company Skycom. The company was based in Iran. The U.S. attorney did not believe it, arguing that Meng violated the U.S. trade embargo against Iran.

A key feature of the indictment is that it targeted Meng as a person, not a Hawaiian company. This is unusual in the American legal system. For example, in 2015, US regulators fined Deutsche Bank more than $ 250 million for trading in US-recognized countries such as Iran and Syria.

Disruptive

On Friday, the US Justice Department announced that it was dropping the charges against Meng. In return, she accepted responsibility for providing false information about trade with Iran. Following the conclusion of the agreement, a Canadian judge ruled that Meng could leave the country. A few hours later she left for her native China. Shortly afterwards, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the release of ‘Two Michaels’.

After his release, Meng spoke to reporters about a “time of disruption” that “turned my life upside down”. However, the circumstances of her imprisonment were far more pleasant than those of two Michael. During the day he was allowed to leave his eight-million-dollar villa, eat at specially rented restaurants, or shop at boutiques that put other customers out with ankle bracelets. Also, teachers came to improve his English and painting skills. The two Canadians were always in cells where there was light and were not allowed to interact with the outside world.

It is not yet clear to what extent this release will improve relations between the United States and China. For example, it is not clear whether the United States withdrew anything for dropping the charges.

The US demand for Meng’s arrest and extradition is part of former President Donald Trump’s policy of confrontation. He believed that Hawaii was undermining US interests by acting as an extension of the Chinese government. The United States, for example, has accused Hawaii of spying on its network equipment. The company always refuses to make mistakes. According to Meng’s lawyers, she became a soldier in a game between the two powers. China has repeatedly urged the United States to withdraw Meng’s extradition request to Canada.

According to The New York Times The agreement between Meng and the US justice system testifies to the conciliatory attitude of the new president, Joe Biden. And in areas such as climate change, US diplomats are clearly looking forward to cooperation with their Chinese counterparts. Still, it is with outstretched fingers for now. This weekend, a day after Meng’s release, Biden meets with the leaders of the governments of India, Australia and Japan to discuss a temporary alliance against China’s growing influence in Asia. Recently, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia presented the Military Agas Agreement with the same objective.

According to Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, the release of two Michaels after his party failed to secure a majority in parliament last week is to be welcomed. The situation represents a painful document for the head of government: the lack of decisiveness towards China during his rule.

The extradition treaty with the United States prevented Canada from engaging in diplomatic affairs. Since Meng’s arrest, 119 Canadians have been detained in China, some of whom, according to Canada, have received excessive harsh sentences. Many of them are still in jail. Meanwhile, of all the major Anglo-Saxon countries, the newspaper notes that Canada has probably an unresolved Chinese policy. National Mail. Allies Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States have already banned the arrival of Hawaii networks in their countries, with Canada yet to make a decision.