On Friday, Meng Wanzhou, the CFO of Huawei, returned to China from Canada after coming to an agreement with US prosecutors to resolve the bank fraud case against her. This case had been a source of tension between China and the United States. Shortly after the news of the agreement, the two Canadians who had been arrested following Meng's detention were released from Chinese prisons and were on their way back to Canada. Although Beijing had denied any connection between their arrests, there were questions about whether there had been a "prisoner swap" involving the White House. White House press secretary Jen Psaki dismissed this idea, stating that the agreement with Meng was made independently by the Department of Justice. She stated that it is a matter for law enforcement and emphasized that there is no connection. However, Psaki also confirmed that during a call on September 9, two weeks prior to the announcements, China's President Xi Jinping raised the issue of Meng's case, and US President Joe Biden pushed for the release of the two Canadians - businessman Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig - who had been detained in China for over 1,000 days. Psaki clarified that the two leaders discussed the individuals' cases but there were no negotiations. She mentioned that she did not have details on whether Biden was aware of the progress of the negotiations between Meng's lawyers and the Justice Department. Meng was arrested in Canada on a US warrant at Vancouver International Airport and was charged with bank and wire fraud for allegedly deceiving HSBC in 2013 about the telecommunications company's business dealings in Iran. The prolonged extradition dispute had been a major source of tension in deteriorating relations between Beijing and Washington, with Chinese officials suggesting that resolving the case was necessary to break a diplomatic deadlock. Psaki clarified that the agreement announced on Friday did not mean a shift in US concerns regarding Chinese behavior. She reiterated that the US policy towards China remains unchanged, emphasizing that the relationship is one of competition rather than seeking conflict. Psaki stated that the US will continue to challenge China for its unfair economic practices, coercive actions globally, and human rights violations. In September, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Biden's climate envoy John Kerry that the United States needed to take practical steps to improve relations by responding to a list of demands, which included dropping the case against Meng. Wang stated that the United States now had to make a decision. However, US officials denied that Kerry or other administration officials had negotiated Meng's release with China for other concessions. Earlier in the week, Xi announced at the United Nations that China would not build new coal-fired power projects abroad, a move that Kerry had been pushing for to help meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement. A White House official emphasized that the US was not involved in China's internal decision-making process. According to the official, the main reason for the movement on coal, primarily by China, was due to their own self-interest. It was understood that they would not gain anything from the situation and would not be able to use it as a bargaining chip. Meng received a warm welcome in China, and Chinese media indicated that her release could potentially improve strained US-China relations. Despite some Republican senators expressing disapproval of the Biden administration for yielding to Beijing's requests, analysts believed that their criticism was unfounded. Bonnie Glaser, an expert on Asia at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, believes that the deal made by the PRC to secure Meng's release was already discussed during the Trump administration. She stated that Meng had to admit to wrongdoing, which she eventually did. Glaser does not view this as capitulation. The Justice Department has stated that it is still getting ready for a trial against Huawei.