SHANGHAI (Reuters) – The release of Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou is an opportunity for a reboot of bilateral relations with the United States and Canada but “toxic political rhetoric” could still “poison” the atmosphere”, Chinese state media said on Monday.

Global Times tabloid supported by the ruling Communist Party stated that Meng’s departure to China meant that there was an end to bilateral tensions in economic and trade. But it also accused anti-China forces of making noises, citing U.S. As an example, Senator Marco Rubio’s criticism of Meng’s release is.

The state-backed China Daily published a separate editorial. It stated, “Whether China and the US and China and Canada relations can now benefit from what is a clear oportunity for a reboot depends upon the extent to Washington and Ottawa are willing heed the lessons learned from their rash plott,”

Meng arrived in China Saturday to end her nearly three-year U.S. extradition battle. Two Canadians held by Beijing for over 1,000 days also returned home on Saturday. On Friday, Meng was released by U.S. authorities after she reached an agreement to resolve a bank fraud charge against her.

The Chinese state media welcomed Meng home over the weekend, but they were quiet about Michael Kovrig (and Michael Spavor), who were both released just hours later than Meng. Chinese authorities detained them just days after Meng was arrested.

The Global Times, in a separate piece published https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202109/1235152.shtml late on Sunday, said Kovrig and Spavor “confessed their guilt for the crimes they committed in China and were released on bail for medical reasons before they departed China”, citing a source close to the matter.

China’s foreign ministry did not comment on the release.

Spavor, who was charged with providing photographs of military equipment for Kovrig, was sentenced in August to eleven years imprisonment. Kovrig was still awaiting sentence.

China previously claimed that it did not engage in hostage diplomacy and insisted that Meng’s arrest and detention were unrelated to their own.