[ad_1]
Ming was arrested in Vancouver, Canada, in 2018, on the basis of a US arrest warrant, and is seeking to prevent her extradition to the United States on charges that Huawei violated US sanctions against the Iran, in a case that caused a crisis in Canada-China relations.
As part of a “postponed prosecution deal” with the US Department of Justice, Ming will admit a number of fraud and conspiracy charges related to alleged Huawei violations, the newspaper said.
The two sides hope to reach an agreement before President Donald Trump’s administration ends, noting that Ming is reluctant to agree to a deal in which she has committed wrongdoing, the newspaper said, citing sources.
Ming’s arrest caused a deterioration in Canada-China relations, and Beijing arrested Canadians Michael Covrig and Michael Spur in what the West saw as a response.
The deal could pave the way for the release of the Canadians, the newspaper said, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Ming’s lawyers have so far sought to block the extradition process by claiming that their client’s rights were violated during his arrest, which Canada denies.
Ming says she is a victim of political persecution and that the United States is attacking Huawei, seeking to curb China’s technological progress.
The United States has imposed stiff sanctions on Huawei, preventing foreign semiconductor manufacturers from selling the company chips made with American technology.
Many Western countries have banned Huawei equipment or are considering removing it from 5G networks due to fears of Chinese espionage. Huawei officials said the attacks stemmed from a U.S. desire to bring down a successful business competitor.
Beijing did not comment on the report released on Friday, but renewed its calls for Canada to release Ming and allow him to return to China.
“Ming Wanzhou is innocent,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a press briefing on Friday. “She did not commit any of the alleged crimes of the United States and Canada.”
“The nature of the Ming-Wanzhou case is very clear,” she added. “It is entirely tied to the US political goals of restraining the development of Chinese high-tech companies, and Canada has played a very shameful role in this regard.”
[ad_2]
Source link
