A woman listens to a debate at Huawei Cyber Security Transparency Center in Brussels, Belgium, on Jan. 30, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

Zhu Peiying, senior vice president of Huawei Technologies Canada, has been elected a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE), a national institute in Canada, according to a news release on the CAE's website on Tuesday.

The institute offers a platform for Canada's "most distinguished and experienced engineers," where they can provide strategic advice on matters "of critical importance to the country," according to the CAE website.

The move is contradictory to Canada's increasing crackdown on the Chinese tech giant, including its recent role as an accomplice in the arrest of Huawei Chief Financial Official Meng Wanzhou. It shows the country needs Huawei for its 5G network construction, said industry observers.

Last month, a ruling by a Canadian court left Meng in detention in Canada, with experts describing Canada's move as "completely surrendering its self-proclaimed judicial and diplomatic independence to US bullying."

Canadian telecoms operator Telus Corp is being pressed by authorities to remove Huawei gear from its 4G infrastructure in the national capital region, the Globe and Mail reported on Tuesday, citing sources.

Canada has not yet decided whether or not to allow Huawei to provide equipment for the country's telecoms development.

In the CAE news release, Zhu is described as a visionary technical leader who has made fundamental contributions to the design and standardization of the current fourth-generation (4G) and the coming fifth-generation (5G) wireless technologies at Nortel and Huawei Canada. 

"She was the leading figure in driving the industry to adopt the MIMO-OFDM technology into the 4G standard. This achievement had created extraordinary impact not only in the direction of wireless industry but also on our daily lives. Dr Zhu is a pioneer and a leading expert on 5G technologies. Her innovations have helped transform the wireless industry into the mobile broadband era," read the news release.

Huawei has invested heavily in research and development (R&D) in Canada. Catherine Chen, Huawei board member and senior vice president, said in 2019 that Huawei had invested a total of $500 million in R&D in Canada over the past decade and $137 million in 2018 alone, adding that the installation of one Huawei 5G base station in Canada can save around $10,000.

Established in 1987, the CAE is an independent, self-governing, and non-profit organization. "Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Engineering are committed to ensuring that Canada's engineering expertise is applied to the benefit of all Canadians," said the institute.

Zhu is one of 52 newly elected CAE Fellows. Rui Yong, corporate CTO and senior vice president of Chinese tech giant Lenovo Group, has also been newly elected a CAE Fellow.