Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou strikes deal with US prosecutors

The chief financial officer of Chinese firm Huawei was arrested in Canada in December 2018 on charges of violating United States sanctions. Huawei Technologies Co. executive Meng Wanzhou and the U.S. Justice Department have reached a deal to resolve criminal charges against her, a breakthrough in a case that raised tensions between China, Canada and the U.S. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York, told the U.S. judge presiding over Meng’s case that they will appear in court Friday afternoon to “address with this court a resolution of the charges against the defendant.” Meng is getting a deferred-prosecution agreement and is not expected to plead guilty, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. Reid Weingarten, Meng’s lead U.S. defense counsel, didn’t immediately return voicemail or email messages seeking comment, nor did Meng’s lawyers in Canada. Trudeau condemned the verdict as “absolutely unacceptable and unjust” while David Meale, the top U.S. diplomat in Beijing, called the proceedings a “blatant attempt to use human beings as bargaining leverage.” In a separate statement, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned Beijing’s sentencing and called for the immediate release of all people “arbitrarily” detained in China. The conviction of Spavor, along with that of Kovrig — a Hong Kong-based analyst at the International Crisis Group and former Canadian diplomat — fueled criticism of the expansion of “hostage diplomacy.” China has repeatedly linked the cases to Meng’s, with a Foreign Ministry spokesman saying last year that halting her extradition “could open up space for resolution to the situation of the two Canadians.” Trudeau’s incumbent Liberals won a third term this week, but the prime minister was unable to regain majority control of the legislature.