BEIJING, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Meng Wanzhou on Tuesday took

over from Eric Xu as the rotating chairperson of China's Huawei

Technologies for the next six months, the

Shenzhen-based telecoms giant and smartphone maker said.

Meng, who is also the daughter of Huawei's founder Ren

Zhengfei, will also continue to serve as the company's chief

financial officer concurrently.

The 52-year-old is taking the reins at a time when Huawei is

going head-to-head with rival Apple ( AAPL ) over smartphone

sales. Both companies launched their latest devices on the same

day in September, with Huawei rolling out a premium tri-fold

phone that costs $2,800.

Meng, described as the "Princess of Huawei" by Chinese

media, was caught up in an extradition drama several years ago.

She was detained in Vancouver in December 2018 after a New

York court issued an arrest warrant, saying Meng had tried to

cover up attempts by Huawei-linked companies to sell equipment

to Iran in breach of U.S. sanctions.

Meng was allowed to return to China in September 2021 after

reaching an agreement with U.S. prosecutors to end a bank fraud

case against her.