Meng Wanzhou facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Meng Wanzhou
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| 孟晚舟 | |||||||||||||||
Meng in 2022
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| Born |
Ren Wanzhou
13 February 1972 Chengdu, Sichuan, China
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| Other names | Cathy Meng | ||||||||||||||
| Education | Huazhong University of Science and Technology | ||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Businesswoman | ||||||||||||||
| Years active | 1993–present | ||||||||||||||
| Title | Deputy chairwoman and CFO, Huawei | ||||||||||||||
| Political party | Chinese Communist Party | ||||||||||||||
| Criminal charge(s) | Bank fraud, wire fraud, conspiracies to commit bank and wire fraud (dropped) | ||||||||||||||
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| Children | 4 | ||||||||||||||
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| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 孟晚舟 | ||||||||||||||
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| Assumed office 22 November 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Ren Zhengfei | ||||||||||||||
Meng Wanzhou (Chinese: 孟晚舟), born on February 13, 1972, is a well-known Chinese businesswoman. She is also called Cathy Meng or Sabrina Meng. Many people in China know her as the "Princess of Huawei." She holds important positions at Huawei, a big technology company. She is the deputy chair of the company's board and its chief financial officer (CFO). Her father, Ren Zhengfei, started Huawei.
In December 2018, Meng Wanzhou was held at Vancouver International Airport in Canada. This happened because the United States Department of Justice asked for her to be sent to the U.S. She was accused of misleading a bank about Huawei's business dealings in Iran, which went against some rules. She was then placed under house arrest in Canada. In September 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a deal. They agreed to drop all charges against her if she met certain conditions. Meng was then released from house arrest and went back to China. In December 2022, the charges against her were officially dropped by a judge.
Early Life and Education
Meng Wanzhou was born as Ren Wanzhou on February 13, 1972. Her birthplace was Chengdu, in the Sichuan province of China. Her father is Ren Zhengfei, and her mother is Meng Jun. Meng Jun's father was a notable government official. Meng Wanzhou has a younger brother, Ren Ping, who also works at Huawei. When she was 16, her parents divorced. After that, she decided to use her mother's family name, Meng.
After college in 1992, Meng worked at China Construction Bank for one year. Then, she joined Huawei, which was a new company started by her father. She began as a secretary there. In 1997, she went back to school. She earned a master's degree in accounting from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology.
Career at Huawei
Meng Wanzhou shared in an interview that her career really began to grow after she returned to Huawei in 1998. She started working in the finance department. Over the years, she held several important roles. These included leading international accounting and being the chief financial officer (CFO) for Huawei Hong Kong. She also directed the company's Accounting Management Department.
In 2011, Huawei publicly shared the names of its top leaders for the first time. Meng was already listed as the company's CFO. In March 2018, she became one of the four vice chairpersons on the board. This showed her growing importance within the company.
By December 2018, Meng was the deputy chairwoman and CFO of Huawei. Huawei is China's largest private company, with many employees. In 2017, Forbes magazine recognized Meng. They ranked her 8th on their list of Outstanding Businesswomen of China.
On October 25, 2021, Meng returned to work at Huawei's headquarters in Shenzhen. This happened after she completed a required health quarantine. She was welcomed back by Huawei employees. On the same day, she also celebrated her father's 77th birthday.
Legal Case and Resolution
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On December 1, 2018, Meng Wanzhou was stopped at Vancouver International Airport. Officers from the Canada Border Services Agency questioned her for three hours. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police then arrested her. This was because the United States had asked Canada to send her to the U.S. She was accused of fraud and trying to avoid U.S. rules related to Iran.
On January 28, 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice officially announced charges against Meng. The first part of her legal hearing began in January 2020. In May 2020, a court in British Columbia, Canada, decided that the process to send her to the U.S. could continue. In February 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice also accused her of stealing business secrets.
During the court process, Meng's lawyers made several claims. They said that her detention was unlawful and that rules were broken. The prosecution responded to each of these claims. In August 2021, the judge in the case questioned some parts of the evidence presented by the U.S.
On September 24, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a deal with Meng. They agreed to put their charges on hold and withdraw their request to send her to the U.S. This happened after she agreed to a special agreement. As part of this deal, Meng agreed to a statement of facts. This statement said she had made untrue statements about Huawei's connection to another company, Skycom, and its operations in Iran. However, she was allowed to formally deny the main charges. She also did not have to pay a fine.
The Department of Justice said they would drop all charges against Meng in December 2022. This was on the condition that she did not commit any other crimes before then. Meng left Vancouver on the same day, September 24, 2021. She flew to Shenzhen, China, on a flight arranged by the Chinese government. She had spent over 1000 days under house arrest in Vancouver as part of her bail. She arrived in Shenzhen on September 25, 2021, and was greeted warmly.
On December 1, 2022, the prosecution asked a judge to drop the charges against her. The judge officially dismissed the charges the next day.
Personal Life
Meng Wanzhou moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in 2001. She received permission to live there permanently. However, her permanent residency status expired in 2009. She has also had permanent residency in Hong Kong since at least 2011.
In 2007, Meng married Liu Xiaozong (刘晓棕). He is a businessman who used to work for Huawei for ten years. They have a daughter together. The couple owns two expensive homes in Vancouver. Meng also has three sons from a previous marriage.
See also
- Detention of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig
- Sanctions against Iran
