Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s CFO and daughter of the company’s founder Ren Zhengfei, has written her first letter to all Huawei employees thanking them for their support since her arrest in Canada last December amid escalating tensions between China and the United States.
“I believe every step I make will be accompanied by the 188,000 sons and daughters of Huawei,” Meng wrote in an internal letter dated last Thursday, according to Chinese media. “Therefore, however big the difficulties and pressures I’m facing, my heart will remain adamant,” she wrote.
The Huawei CFO’s legal team successfully delayed proceedings for Meng extradition from Canada to the US until after a separate hearing later in September by arguing that the Canadian government had withheld key evidence to her high profile arrest last year.
Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou when she was transiting in Vancouver for a conference in Argentina last December at the behest of US authorities. Beijing sees her arrest as Canada taking sides in its ongoing trade war with the United States. China then detained two Canadians on national security grounds shortly after Meng’s arrest.
Meng wrote her letter just as the Sino-US trade talks saw a setback last week. The United States is accusing China of walking back on previous promises and raised tariffs on Chinese imports from 10% to 25% last Friday. China has vowed to retaliate.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with US president Donald Trump last week, and their onversation “highlighted the challenges Canada faces because of this conflict with China,” according to The Wall Street Journal.