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Meng Wanzhou

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In this Chinese name, the family name is Meng.

Meng Wanzhou
孟晚舟
Meng in 2022
Born
Ren Wanzhou

(1972-02-13) 13 February 1972 (age 52)
Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Other namesCathy Meng
EducationHuazhong University of Science and Technology
OccupationBusinesswoman
Years active1993–present
TitleDeputy chair and CFO, Huawei
Criminal charge(s)Bank fraud, wire fraud, conspiracies to commit bank and wire fraud[1] (dropped)[2][3][4]
Spouses
  • Zheng Qize (divorced)
  • Liu Xiaozong
    ​
    (m. 2007)​
    [5]
Children4
Parent
Chinese name
Chinese孟晚舟
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinMèng Wǎnzhōu
Wade–GilesMêng4 Wan3-chou1
IPA[mə̂ŋ wànʈʂóʊ]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJBēng Boán-chiu
Assumed office
22 November 2019
Preceded byRen Zhengfei

Meng Wanzhou (Chinese: 孟晚舟; born 13 February 1972), also known as Cathy Meng and Sabrina Meng,[6] also informally known in China as the "Princess of Huawei",[7] is a Chinese business executive. She is the deputy chair of the board and chief financial officer (CFO) of Huawei, which was founded by her father Ren Zhengfei.

On 1 December 2018, Meng was detained and interrogated at Vancouver International Airport[8] by the Canada Border Services Agency and subsequently placed under house arrest on extradition request by United States Department of Justice under the indictment of bank and wire fraud regarding financial transactions in violation of U.S. sanctions against Iran by Skycom, which had functioned as Huawei's Iran-based subsidiary.[9][10] On 24 September 2021, the DOJ announced it had reached a plea bargain with Meng to resolve the case through a deferred prosecution agreement,[11][12][13][14] and it would move to dismiss all charges against Meng when the deferral period ended on 21 December 2022, on the condition that Meng was not charged with any other crime before then.[3][4][15] Meng was released from house arrest and left Canada for China on 24 September 2021.[16] On 1 December 2022, the prosecution asked a judge to dismiss bank fraud and other charges against her[2] and the judge dismissed the charges the next day.[17]

Early life and education

[edit]

Meng Wanzhou was born Ren Wanzhou on 13 February 1972[18] in Chengdu, Sichuan province.[6][19] She is the daughter of Ren Zhengfei and his first wife, Meng Jun, who is the daughter of Meng Dongbo, a former deputy secretary of East China Military and Administrative Committees and deputy provincial governor of Sichuan. She has a younger brother Ren Ping (formerly Meng Ping), who also works for Huawei.[19] After her parents divorced when she was 16, she adopted her mother's surname Meng.[20]

After divorcing Meng Jun, Ren Zhengfei married Yao Ling, with whom he had another daughter, Annabel Yao. The half-sister is 25 years younger than Meng Wanzhou, and made a high-profile debut at Le Bal des Débutantes in Paris in November 2018.[19]

After graduating from college in 1992, Meng worked for China Construction Bank for a year before joining Huawei, then a startup company founded by her father, as a secretary.[20][21] She attended graduate school in 1997 and earned a master's degree in accounting from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology.[22]

Career

[edit]
Meng Wanzhou at the VI Russia Calling! Investment Forum 2 October 2014
Meng at the Russia Calling! Investment Forum in 2014

In an interview with the Chinese newspaper 21st Century Business Herald, she said her career took off after she returned to Huawei in 1998 to work in the finance department.[20] She held positions including head of international accounting, chief financial officer (CFO) of Huawei Hong Kong, and director of the Accounting Management Department.[22]

When Huawei first published the names of its top executives in 2011, Meng was already listed as its CFO.[23] In March 2018, she was appointed as one of the four vice chairpersons of the board, fueling speculation that she was being groomed to eventually succeed her father. However, Ren has denied such claims, telling Sina Tech that "none of my family members possess [suitable] qualities" and "will never be included in the sequence of successors."[24]

As of December 2018, Meng was the deputy chairwoman and CFO of Huawei,[25] China's largest privately held company, with 180,000 employees.[21] In 2017, Forbes ranked Meng 8th in its list of Outstanding Businesswomen of China, while Huawei chairwoman Sun Yafang (who stepped down in March 2018) was ranked 2nd.[26]

On 25 October 2021, video clips showing Meng being welcomed back by Huawei employees at the Shenzhen headquarters circulated prompting confirmation that Meng had resumed work after completing a compulsory 21-day COVID-19 quarantine.[27] She also celebrated her father's 77th birthday on the same day.[28][29]

Extradition case

[edit]
Main article: Extradition case of Meng Wanzhou
Meng during her time under house arrest in Vancouver in 2021

On 1 December 2018, Meng was detained upon arrival at Vancouver International Airport by Canada Border Services Agency officers for questioning, which lasted three hours.[8][30] The Royal Canadian Mounted Police subsequently arrested her on a provisional U.S. extradition request for fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud in order to circumvent U.S. sanctions against Iran.[8][31]

On 28 January 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice formally announced financial fraud charges against Meng.[32][33] The first stage of the extradition hearing for Meng began Monday 20 January 2020 and concluded on 27 May 2020 when a BC Court ordered the extradition to proceed.[34][35] On 13 February 2020, Meng was personally indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice on charges of trade secrets theft.[36]

During the extradition courtroom proceedings, Meng's lawyers made several allegations against the prosecution, including allegations of unlawful detention of Meng,[37] unlawful search and seizure,[38] extradition law violations,[39] misrepresentation,[40][41][10] international law violation,[42] and fabricated testimonies by the CBSA.[43] each of which were responded to by the prosecution.[44][45][46][47] In August 2021, the extradition judge questioned the regularity of the case and expressed great difficulty in understanding how the Record of Case (ROC) presented by the US supported their allegation of criminality.[48][49][50]

On 18 September 2021, The Globe and Mail, citing Canadian sources, reported that the U.S. Department of Justice had a talk with Huawei and the lawyers representing Meng and had offered to end the extradition request and criminal proceedings if Meng pleaded "guilty" to the charges and paid a large fine.[51][52]

On 24 September 2021, the Department of Justice announced it had reached a deal with Meng to resolve their case against her by deferring their criminal charges and withdrawing their extradition request after she entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with them. As part of the deal, Meng agreed to a statement of facts, admitting she had made untrue statements about Huawei concealing its link to Skycom and operating it in violation of US sanctions against Iran, but was allowed to formally deny her key charges and did not have to pay a fine.[11] The Department of Justice said it would move to dismiss all the charges against Meng when the deferral period ends on 21 December 2022, on the condition that Meng is not charged with a crime before then.[3][53][54] Meng left Vancouver on the same day aboard a Chinese government-arranged Air China charter flight bound for Shenzhen, Guangdong, China after spending more than 1000 days under house arrest in the city as part of her bail condition.[55] She arrived and was greeted to a hero's welcome at the Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport on 25 September 2021.[56][57]

On 1 December 2022, the prosecution asked a judge to dismiss bank fraud and other charges against her,[58] and the judge dismissed the charges.[17]

Personal life

[edit]

Meng moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and obtained permanent residency in 2001,[59][60] but her Confirmation of Permanent Residence expired in 2009.[61] She also has had Hong Kong permanent residence since at least 2011.[61][62]

In 2007, Meng married businessman Liu Xiaozong (刘晓棕),[5] who formerly worked for Huawei for ten years.[63][64][65] The couple have a daughter, and own two multimillion-dollar residences in Vancouver.[66] Meng also has three sons from a previous marriage.[60]

According to media reports, Meng has high blood pressure, sleep apnea and hyperthyroidism.[67] It was reported that in May 2018, she had an operation to remove her thyroid gland.[68]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Chinese Telecommunications Conglomerate Huawei and Huawei CFO Wanzhou Meng Charged With Financial Fraud" (Press release). U.S. Department of Justice. 28 January 2019. Archived from the original on 1 February 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  2. ^ a b "U.S. dismissing charges against Huawei's Meng Wanzhou". CBC. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Jacobs, Colleta. "Meng Wanzhou reaches deal in Huawei espionage case that will allow her to return to China, lawyer says". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Huawei's Meng Wanzhou to be freed in US deal". BBC News. 24 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  5. ^ a b 【華為危機】與現任丈夫姊弟戀！香港結婚育有一女兒 [[Huawei Crisis] Falling in love with my current husband and sister! Married in Hong Kong and has a daughter]. Apple Daily (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 11 December 2018. Archived from the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  6. ^ a b Zhong, Raymond (7 December 2018). "Meng Wanzhou Was Huawei's Professional Face, Until Her Arrest". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 December 2018. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  7. ^ "Meng Wanzhou: 'princess of Huawei' who became the face of a high-stakes dispute". the Guardian. 19 August 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Chiang, Chuck. 24 December 2019. "Year in review: Could Meng Wanzhou arrest cause permanent Canada-China rift? Archived 2020-01-06 at the Wayback Machine" Tri-City News. Vancouver: Business in Vancouver. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  9. ^ "United States District Court Eastern District of New York Superseding Indictment (United States of America against Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., Huawei Device USA Inc., Skycom Tech Co. Ltd., Wanzhou Meng, Defendants.)". U.S. Department of Justice. 24 January 2019. pp. 10–14. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Meng Wanzhou: The PowerPoint that sparked an international row". BBC News. 24 September 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  11. ^ a b "United States District Court Eastern District of New York Deferred Prosecution Agreement (United States of America against Wanzhou Meng, Defandant)". U.S. Department of Justice. 22 September 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  12. ^ Fife, Robert; Chase, Steven (24 September 2021). "Meng Wanzhou free to return to China after cutting plea deal with U.S. Justice Department". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  13. ^ Feiner, Lauren (24 September 2021). "Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou to be released after agreement with U.S. in wire fraud case". CNBC. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  14. ^ Blackwell, Tom (25 September 2021). "Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, Canadians detained in China since 2018, are 'on their way home': Trudeau". National Post.
  15. ^ Lawler, Richard (24 September 2021). "US agrees not to pursue fraud charges against Huawei CFO". The Verge. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  16. ^ Freifeld, Karen; Li, Kenneth; Warburton, Moira; Ljunggren, David (27 September 2021). "Huawei CFO leaves Canada after U.S. agreement on fraud charges, detained Canadians head home". Reuters.
  17. ^ a b Chen, Shawna (3 December 2022). "Federal judge dismisses financial fraud charges against Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou". Axios. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  18. ^ Ryan, Denise (10 December 2018). "Affidavit of detained Huawei official details life in Vancouver, plans to fight extradition". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022.
  19. ^ a b c "The tale of Huawei founder's daughters born 25 years apart". South China Morning Post. 6 December 2018. Archived from the original on 7 December 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  20. ^ a b c Pham, Sherisse (7 December 2018). "Who is Meng Wanzhou, the Chinese exec wanted by the US?". CNN. Archived from the original on 7 December 2018.
  21. ^ a b Vanderklippe, Nathan (5 December 2018). "Arrest of Huawei's Meng Wanzhou sparks fury in China". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 13 December 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  22. ^ a b Li Qi, ed. (6 December 2018). 驻加使馆：已向美加提出严正交涉，要求恢复孟晚舟人身自由. The Paper (in Simplified Chinese). Archived from the original on 6 December 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  23. ^ "Who is Meng Wanzhou, the Huawei CFO arrested in Vancouver?". www.cbsnews.com. 7 December 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  24. ^ "Huawei's Arrested CFO Rose Through Ranks Despite Father's Rebuke". Bloomberg. 6 December 2018. Archived from the original on 11 December 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018. Ren Zhengfei laid out qualities a successor should have, including vision, character and industry-specific knowledge.
  25. ^ Wakabayashi, Daisuke; Rappeport, Alan (5 December 2018). "A Top Huawei Executive Is Arrested in Canada for Extradition to the U.S." The New York Times. Archived from the original on 6 December 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  26. ^ 2017福布斯中国最杰出商界女性排行榜. Forbes China (in Simplified Chinese). 2017. Archived from the original on 29 October 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  27. ^ "Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou returns to hero's welcome at company headquarters after 21-day quarantine". South China Morning Post. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  28. ^ "On Ren Zhengfei's birthday, Meng Wanzhou returned to work at Huawei, in a suit that made his colleagues yell the goddess". inf.news. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  29. ^ "Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou returns to hero's welcome at company headquarters after 21-day quarantine". South China Morning Post. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  30. ^ The Canadian Press. 27 May 2020. "Five things to know about the Meng Wanzhou extradition case Archived 2020-06-06 at the Wayback Machine." Vancouver Courier.
  31. ^ Horowitz, Julia (6 December 2018). "Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou arrested in Canada, faces extradition to United States". CNN Business. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  32. ^ Lynch, Sarah (28 January 2019). "U.S. unseals indictments against China's Huawei and CFO Meng Wanzhou". Reuters. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  33. ^ Martell, Allison; Mehler Paperny, Anna (10 January 2020). "Canadian prosecutors say case against Huawei CFO is about fraud, not sanctions". Reuters. Archived from the original on 10 January 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  34. ^ "United States v Meng, 2020 BCSC 785". www.bccourts.ca. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  35. ^ Proctor, Jason (27 May 2020). "Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou loses key court battle as B.C. judge rules extradition bid should proceed". CBC.
  36. ^ Office of Public Affairs (13 February 2020). "Chinese Telecommunications Conglomerate Huawei and Subsidiaries Charged in Racketeering Conspiracy and Conspiracy to Steal Trade Secrets" (News release). United States Department of Justice. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  37. ^ "Nothing 'routine' about Meng Wanzhou's treatment at Vancouver airport: Defence". Vancouver Sun. 24 September 2019. Archived from the original on 27 September 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  38. ^ Wanyee Li (22 August 2019). "Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou's allegations against officials could derail extradition, legal experts say". The Star. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  39. ^ "RCMP gave FBI serial numbers, other details about Meng Wanzhou's phones, defence claims". The Toronto Star. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  40. ^ "HSBC material shows US made 'outright false' claims, Meng lawyer argues". 30 June 2021.
  41. ^ Miller, Harry (30 October 2020). "Meng Wanzhou scores victory as lawyers allowed to argue U.S. tried to trick Canada – CBC.ca". Canada News Media. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  42. ^ "Meng Wanzhou's lawyers claim extradition would violate international law". CBC. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  43. ^ "Meng's lawyer accuses Canadian officer of fabricating extradition testimony". 19 March 2021.
  44. ^ Karen Freifeld (23 September 2019). "Canada says border officials did not act improperly when arresting Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  45. ^ "Judge in Meng Wanzhou case orders RCMP and CBSA to disclose more documents". Vancouver Sun. 10 December 2019. Archived from the original on 2 January 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  46. ^ "Crown accuses Meng Wanzhou's lawyers of trying to turn extradition into a trial". CBC. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  47. ^ "Meng Wanzhou lawyers attack 'unprecedented' refusal of key RCMP witness to testify | CBC News".
  48. ^ Smart, Amy (12 August 2021). "Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou's extradition judge suggests case is 'unusual'". British Columbia. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  49. ^ Fine, Sean (11 August 2021). "Judge in Meng Wanzhou's extradition case says U.S. Allegation is unclear". The Globe and Mail.
  50. ^ "Canada, China and US were all doomed to lose in Meng Wanzhou's case". the Guardian. 24 September 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  51. ^ "U.S. resumes talks with Huawei CFO on resolving criminal charges - Globe and Mail". Reuters. 18 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  52. ^ "US, Meng Wanzhou in talks to resolve charges: report - RTHK". news.rthk.hk. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  53. ^ "Huawei's Meng Wanzhou flies back to China after deal with US". BBC News. 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  54. ^ Fife, Robert; Chase, Steven (24 September 2021). "Meng Wanzhou free to return to China after cutting plea deal with U.S. Justice Department". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  55. ^ Freifeld, Karen; Li, Kenneth; Warburton, Moira; Ljunggren, David (25 September 2021). "Huawei CFO leaves Canada after U.S. Agreement on fraud charges, detained Canadians head home". Reuters.
  56. ^ "China welcomes Huawei executive home, but silent on freed Canadians". reuters.com. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  57. ^ "Huawei CFO gets hero's welcome; Canadians land quietly". National Post. 26 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  58. ^ "Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou's bank fraud charges to be dismissed". South China Morning Post. 2 December 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  59. ^ "Chinese foreign ministry warns of consequences with Meng Wanzhou's bail hearing set to resume Monday". CBC. Reuters. 8 December 2018. Archived from the original on 9 December 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  60. ^ a b Bloomberg (9 December 2018). "Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou cites multi-million dollar homes in Vancouver and health issues in bail bid". Straits Times. Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  61. ^ a b "Judge concerned about using husband of Huawei exec as bail surety". vancouversun.com. 11 December 2018. Archived from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  62. ^ Wood, Ian; Gray, Mackenzie (13 January 2021). "Huawei CFO Meng's family granted federal travel exemption to visit Canada". CTV News. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  63. ^ 华为老兵：我所知道的孟晚舟曾激励父亲到深圳闯荡 [Huawei veteran: Meng Wanzhou, as I know, inspired his father to go to Shenzhen]. Jiefang Daily (in Simplified Chinese). 9 December 2018. Archived from the original on 11 December 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  64. ^ 德普刘晓棕：我们要办什么样的教育？_重庆国际学校_家长帮 [Depp Liu Xiaozong: What kind of education are we going to do?]. www.jzb.com (in Simplified Chinese). Archived from the original on 13 December 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  65. ^ "CASE - Co-Chairs and Speakers". www.case.org. Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  66. ^ Derrick Penner (7 December 2018). "Huawei executive arrested at YVR appears to have family ties to Vancouver homes". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 11 December 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  67. ^ "孟晚舟在加拿大被控合谋瞒骗多家银行 保释申请仍未裁决". beltandroad.zaobao. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  68. ^ "社评：加拿大粗暴对待孟晚舟严重侵犯人权". world.people.cn. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
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