HUAWEI HEIRESS ENJOYS HER RED-LETTER DAY
Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou has received a red-carpet welcome home with thousands of people cramming the Shenzen airport arrivals hall waving Chinese flags and banners.
Huawei employees waited on the airport tarmac waving Chinese flags as a staffer in full protective gear offered her a bouquet of flowers.
“Being an ordinary citizen, I could not have secured my freedom without the support of my beloved country, and the love of the Chinese people,” Meng told supporters from the tarmac, before leading the crowd in a rendition of a patriotic Chinese song.
Gushing coverage in Beijing’s state media have framed her return as a victory for China against US attempts to stifle its success.
Meng returned to China shortly after two Canadians – who were released from prison in China – also arrived in Calgary, ending a bitter diplomatic row that has poisoned ties for three years.
Meng and two Canadians – former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor – were detained in a bitter spat critics called “hostage diplomacy”.
Meng, the 49-year-old daughter of Ren Zhengfei, the billionaire founder of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, was granted release after three years of house arrest in Canada while fighting extradition to the US.