Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou returned to China from Canada on Friday after reaching a deal with US prosecutors to resolve the bank fraud case against her. The release of two Canadians who were arrested in China shortly after Meng's detention followed news of the agreement, although Beijing denied any link between the arrests. The White House press secretary denied any involvement in brokering a "prisoner swap," emphasizing that the deferred prosecution agreement with Meng was made independently by the Department of Justice. "This is a matter for law enforcement," she stated, clarifying that there is no connection. However, Psaki did acknowledge that during a call on September 9, two weeks prior to the announcements, Chinese leader Xi Jinping mentioned Meng's case and US President Joe Biden pushed for the release of two Canadians, businessman Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig, who had been detained in China for over 1,000 days. "These two leaders discussed these individuals but there were no formal negotiations," Psaki explained. She also mentioned that she was unaware if Biden was informed about the ongoing negotiations between Meng's lawyers and the Justice Department. Meng was arrested at Vancouver International Airport in Canada on a US warrant and was charged with bank and wire fraud for allegedly deceiving HSBC in 2013 about the business transactions of the telecommunications equipment company in Iran. The ongoing extradition dispute has been a major source of tension in the deteriorating relationship between Beijing and Washington, with Chinese officials suggesting that dropping the case could help resolve diplomatic issues. Psaki clarified that the recent agreement does not mean the US is easing its concerns about China's behavior. She stated that the US policy towards China remains unchanged, emphasizing that they are not seeking conflict but rather a competitive relationship where China will be held accountable for unfair economic practices, coercive actions, and human rights violations. In September, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the United States to take practical steps to improve relations by meeting a list of demands, including dropping the case against Meng, during a virtual meeting with Biden's climate envoy John Kerry. Wang stated that the United States now had the responsibility to act. US officials, however, denied that Kerry or other administration officials had negotiated Meng's release with China in exchange for other concessions. Earlier in the week, Chinese President Xi Jinping 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 uphold the goals of the Paris climate agreement. A White House official emphasized that the United States was not involved in China's decision-making process regarding this issue. An official stated that China's actions regarding coal were driven by their own interests, as they realized they wouldn't benefit from using it as leverage. Meng received a warm welcome in China, with the media suggesting her release could improve US-China relations. Some Republican senators criticized the Biden administration for giving in to China's demands, but analysts disagreed with their assessment. "I think that the agreement that the People's Republic of China reached to secure Meng's release was proposed during the Trump administration. She was required to admit to wrongdoing, which she ultimately did. I don't view this as surrender," stated Bonnie Glaser, a specialist on Asia at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, a research organization. The Justice Department has stated that they are still getting ready for the trial against Huawei.