Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou and the two Michaels: high-profile international prisoners finally return home
Three international prisoners were detained for over 1,000 days
Meng Wanzhou, Michael Spavor, and Michael Kovrig are three people that got tangled up in the American-Chinese rivalry. They all have something in common: they were detained by a foreign government and held for over 1,000 days. They also have this in common: they all went home on September 24, 2021. Plus, learn “against your will.”
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Transcript
A case of international intrigue ends as three prisoners return home
Lesson summary
Hi there, I’m Jeff and you are listening to Plain English, where you can upgrade your English while learning about current events and trending topics. JR is the producer, as always, and he has uploaded this full lesson to PlainEnglish.com/411.
Coming up today…the case of three people caught up in a controversy of global proportions. A high-profile tech executive in China and two Canadians named Michael lived in detention for over 1,000 days. They were pawns in a global conflict between America, China, and Canada. Today and on Monday, we’ll talk about what happened and how they came home. The English expression we’ll review today is “against your will.” And we have a song of the week from JR.
A Huawei executive and the Canadian hostages
This is a story of three people caught up in the American-Chinese rivalry. Meng Wanzhou is the chief financial officer (the CFO) of Huawei, a Chinese manufacturer of telecommunications equipment. Michael Spavor is a Canadian who formed a non-governmental organization (an NGO), that supports cultural and business exchanges between China and North Korea. And Michael Kovrig is a former Canadian diplomat who works at a pro-peace think tank.
They all have something in common: they were detained by a foreign government and held for over 1,000 days. They also have this in common: they went home on September 24, 2021. Here’s what happened.
Relations between the U.S. and China have been strained for some time. The U.S. accuses China of human rights violations, intellectual property theft, and unfair trade practices. China, for its part, believes the U.S. is interfering in its domestic policies and is unfairly trying to prevent China from rising to great-power status politically, technologically, and economically. One of the flashpoints in the strained relationship is a company called Huawei.
Some of you may have Huawei phones. Huawei is the world’s second-largest manufacturer of smartphones, behind Samsung. But the company also makes something else: the critical network equipment needed to support Internet and cell phone service, including the new 5G wireless connection that carriers are eager to roll out .
Huawei is a privately held company; it is not owned by the government. Still, the U.S. government suspects that there may be secret ways for the company or China to spy on activity that takes place using Huawei data transfer equipment. The company insists that this isn’t possible and that it would never share customer data with the Chinese government in any case. Regardless, under both the Trump and Biden administrations, the U.S. has tried to pressure countries to use other suppliers for its upgrade to 5G networking.
In addition to this, the U.S. alleges that Huawei purposely lied to a bank to get around economic sanctions against Iran. The sanctions prevent banks from making loans and facilitating payments to companies working in Iran. Banks that use the American financial system are not allowed to work with companies with ties to Iran. And banking customers must truthfully disclose their activities and relationships to their banks, so the banks can follow the rules.
The U.S. Department of Justice alleges that Huawei lied to its bank, HSBC. The allegations say that Huawei told HSBC that certain economic activity was for itself when really it was for a subsidiary that did business in Iran. If that really happened, then those false statements would be bank fraud.
In December 2018, Meng Wanzhou, the CFO and daughter of Huawei’s founder, was traveling from China to Argentina to attend a conference. She changed planes in Vancouver, where she owns a home. When she got off the plane, Canadian police arrested her, acting on an American warrant. The charges were bank fraud.
China was furious. China believed that the arrest was political and that the U.S. was using her arrest as part of its geopolitical campaign against Huawei. But China wasn’t just furious with America for issuing the arrest warrant, they were furious with Canada for enforcing it.
Days later, two Canadians, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig were arrested in China and accused of spying and providing state secrets to external actors. It was clearly an act of retaliation against Canada.
For over 1,000 days, Ms. Meng was held in Vancouver, and the two Michaels were held in China, their fates intertwined. But they were not treated equally. Meng Wanzhou spent her days in one of her two multi-million-dollar mansions in Vancouver; though she had to wear an ankle bracelet, she was free to go out and wander the city during the day. She was monitored around the clock by private security. To add insult to injury, she had to pay for the security guards. She took English lessons with an online tutor to pass the time. She also spent her days oil painting, reading, and working, according to Huawei. Her husband and family were able to visit.
This isn’t to say her life was a breeze, she was still facing the possibility of a trial in an American court, and she was detained against her will in a country not her own. But she had a team of American lawyers, Canadian lawyers, and Chinese lawyers working on her case and living in her neighborhood. Most people convicted of these crimes don’t face any jail time.
The two Michaels did not live in a mansion in China during their detention, and they did not have international teams of lawyers fighting on their behalf . They couldn’t even talk to their families on the phone, much less see them in person. They were moved to detention facilities, where they faced harsh conditions, including up to eight hours of interrogation per day and lights on 24 hours. The two Michaels weren’t placed together. They were allowed very limited visits from Canadian consular services: one brief visit every couple of months.
They were so cut off from the world that one of them didn’t know anything about COVID-19 until he was finally allowed a short phone call with his family, months after the pandemic had started. After being held for 557 days, they were both charged with espionage, and they faced life in prison if convicted. Ninety-nine percent of those charged of these crimes in China are convicted.
But they weren’t convicted. They flew home to Canada. On Monday, we’ll talk about how Meng Wanzhou and the two Michaels finally made it home on the same day.
A fascinating story
This is such a fascinating story. There’s nothing bigger in the world now than the rivalry between America and China. They are the two biggest superpowers in the world struggling for influence. The combined population of the three countries, including Canada, is 1.7 billion people. And yet, seemingly the pressure of this huge rivalry fell on the shoulders of exactly three people.
¿Hablas español?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into Spanish. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .
How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
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你说中国话？
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Parlez-vous français?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Você fala português?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
日本語は話せますか？
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Parli italiano?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Sprechen Sie Deutsch?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Sen Türkçe konuşmayı biliyor musun?
The transcripts of Plain English lessons are available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation. Turkish translations are available starting at Lesson 278.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Mówisz po polsku?
The transcript of Plain English lessons are available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation. Polish translations are available starting at Lesson 278.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Audio
The fast version of this lesson is available for subscribers of Plain English Plus+.