The secret prisoner exchange between the US and China that split both countries.

Inside the Covert Prisoner Exchange That Split China and the United States

A showdown between international competitors was sparked by the detention of a Chinese businesswoman to face prosecution in the US, ushering in a contentious new era.

1. Who was this billionaire business prisoner?

2. Why was she so important that a trade has to be done?

3. Why is the US government I'm denial after making the trade?

4. Was it a political affair?

A 50-year-old famous businesswoman was detained, and American attempts to extradite her for prosecution in New York turned her into a national martyr in China and a symbol of America's escalating enmity toward its closest competitor.

Ms. Meng was brought by two border guards to a counter where another guard searched her belongings. Officers questioned, among other things, if Huawei had ever sold goods in Iran. Her gadgets were taken, and she was asked for her passwords. They put each of her devices, which included a red-cased Huawei phone, a black-and-pink 256-gigabyte thumb drive, a pink-framed MacBook, and an iPad with a sticker of Winnie-the-Pooh, a cartoon character frequently used on social media to mock Mr. Xi, China's leader, into security bags as the U.S. had requested.

"You have committed fraud, we're arresting you, and then you will be sent back to the United States," a police officer told Ms. Meng.

"Me?" she said. "You're saying I committed fraud in the United States?"

"I don't have details," another officer replied. "They have a fraud charge against you regarding your company, uh, Huawei?"

Meng Wanzhou planned to spend only a few hours in Vancouver when she touched down on Dec. 1, 2018. It was one of four cities where she kept a home.

Dettagli