Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou flew back to China from Canada on Friday after reaching a deal with US prosecutors to resolve the bank fraud case against her. This case had been a point of tension between China and the United States. Shortly after the agreement was announced, the two Canadians who were detained after Meng's arrest were released from Chinese prisons and were heading back to Canada. Beijing had denied any connection between their arrests and Meng's case. White House press secretary Jen Psaki stated that the White House was not involved in brokering a "prisoner swap" and 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 between the two. However, Psaki also verified that during a call on September 9, two weeks prior to the announcements, Chinese leader Xi Jinping discussed 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 imprisoned in China for over 1,000 days. "These two leaders brought up the cases of these individuals, but there was no formal negotiation," Psaki explained. She also mentioned that she did not have any details on whether Biden was aware of the negotiations between Meng's lawyers and the Justice Department. Meng was detained 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 telecommunications equipment company's business dealings in Iran. The extradition saga that lasted for years was a major point of contention in the strained relationship between Beijing and Washington. Chinese officials had suggested that dropping the case could help improve diplomatic relations. Psaki clarified that the recent announcement does not mean the US is softening its stance on China. She stated that the US policy towards China remains the same, emphasizing that the relationship is based on competition and holding China accountable for its unfair economic practices, coercive actions, 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 the responsibility to make a move. Despite this, US officials have 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 commitment Kerry had been pushing for to help achieve the goals of the Paris climate agreement. A White House official clarified that the United States was not involved in China's internal decision-making process regarding this matter. An official stated that China's recent actions regarding coal were purely self-serving, as they realized they were not gaining any leverage by holding onto it. Meng received a warm welcome in China, with their official media suggesting her release could improve US-China relations. Some Republican senators criticized the Biden administration for giving in to Beijing's demands, but analysts disagreed with their assessment. Bonnie Glaser, an expert on Asia at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, believes that the deal made by the People's Republic of China to secure the release of Meng was already being discussed during the Trump administration. She notes that Meng had to admit to wrongdoing, which she eventually did. Glaser does not view this as a form of capitulation. The Justice Department is still getting ready for a trial against Huawei.