Canada announces the release of its two citizens detained in China
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said two Canadian citizens, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who had been detained in China, have been released.
During a press conference, Trudeau said Kovrig and Spavor on Friday boarded a plane from China at 0730 pm (0130 am GMT Saturday) with Canada's ambassador to China Dominic Barton.
He said the plane had left Chinese airspace and "they are on their way home," according to the Canadian CTV network.
The release of the Canadian citizens came hours after it was announced that Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of the Chinese telecoms company Huawei, had been released and allowed to leave Canada and return to China.
Spavor was arrested in December 2018, shortly after Canada's arrest of Meng.
Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat, was arrested around the same time as Spavor, prompting accusations of Beijing's "hostage diplomacy", but China denied any connection between the two cases.
Earlier, a settlement was reached between the US Department of Justice and Meng Wanzhou.
Meng, the son of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfui, has been charged with bank fraud in the United States in connection with violating sanctions against Iran.
Meng was detained in Canada in 2018 and the United States sought her extradition.
Under the agreement reached in a court in New York, it was decided that the United States would withdraw its extradition request.
Canada's Justice Department said Meng was free to leave Canada, following a deferred prosecution agreement with US authorities.
The deferred prosecution agreement reportedly calls for the US Department of Justice to drop the fraud charges against Meng late next year in exchange for Meng accepting responsibility for misrepresenting her company's business transactions in Iran.
The US government withdrew Meng's extradition request from Canada on Friday, and a Canadian court lifted all bail requirements for Meng.
The trial has been postponed to December 1, 2022 and will be dropped if Meng abides by the terms of the agreement, according to prosecutors.
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