Arrests of Canadians fuel anxieties among expatriates in China
- Fears grow that a legal technicality could lead to a detention
- Some Canadians are self-censoring their social media postings and keeping a low profile
The arrest of a third Canadian in China has heightened anxiety even in an expatriate community accustomed to some level of fear and uncertainty.
Beijing on Thursday confirmed it arrested Canadian Sarah McIver for “working illegally” in the country, following the detention of two other Canadians on national security grounds.
While Canadian authorities said the latest detention appears to be a routine visa case, it has nonetheless exacerbated concerns among Canadian expatriates in China – fearful that they too might be detained over a legal technicality.
“I think most Canadians that are here are living in fear at some level, a fear of losing what they have here, a fear of getting arrested, fear of retribution,” said Ricky Ng-Adam, founder of CoderBunker, a community of international software developers, who regularly travels to Shanghai for work.
“It’s a constant fear,” he said, adding that some of his compatriots self-censor their social media postings and try to keep a low profile.
