Canada’s Justin Trudeau urges unified front against China detentions
- ‘Who knows whose citizens might be next?’ prime minister asks, referring to two Canadians detained in China after the arrest of a Huawei executive in Vancouver
- His remarks come as China offers more family and consular access to the ‘two Michaels’
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged nations around the world to maintain a unified front against Chinese detentions of foreign citizens, saying every country was vulnerable.
Trudeau made his remarks as China offered more consular access to two Canadian men it arrested in December 2018 and charged with spying. Canada has repeatedly called on its partners to press Beijing for their release.
“We have a tremendous level of alignment, not just with the United States but with allies around the world, to continually bring up the question of the coercive diplomacy that China is increasingly using,” Trudeau said in an interview at the Reuters Next summit that aired on Thursday.
“We must all stand together because who knows whose citizens might be next?”
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China accuses detained Canadians of spying, following Huawei CFO extradition approval
China detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor after Canadian police picked up Huawei Technologies Co.’s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou on a US arrest warrant. She is under house arrest in Vancouver as she fights extradition.
Syrine Khoury, a spokeswoman for Foreign Minister Marc Garneau, said Canada had obtained agreements involving increased family and consular access to the two men in recent months but gave no details.
A person familiar with the case said that since October, consular visits had been restored to levels seen before the pandemic. The families of the two men had also spoken to them once by phone, said the person, who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation.
Canadian Michael Kovrig’s steps to sanity in two years of China detention
Khoury also said Canadian immigration officials had allowed Meng family members to visit her. Canada has strict travel restrictions to combat the coronavirus.
A spokesperson for Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino declined to comment when asked whether the permission for Meng’s family was linked to the increased consular access.
