OTTAWA, Jan 4, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Thirteen Canadians have been detained in
China following the arrest on December 1 of a senior executive from Chinese
telecoms equipment giant Huawei, Ottawa said Thursday, with eight
subsequently released.
Global Affairs Canada spokesperson Guillaume Berube confirmed the
detentions to AFP, adding the figures excluded Hong Kong.
The thirteen include former diplomat Michael Kovrig and consultant Michael
Spavor, arrested on December 10, for activities said to threaten national
security, as well as Sarah McIver, who was subsequently freed and returned to
Canada.
There are approximately 200 Canadians overall who have been detained in
China for a variety of alleged infractions and continue to face ongoing legal
proceedings, and the number has remained relatively stable in recent years.
By way of comparison, there are almost 900 Canadians in a similar situation
in the US.
Some observers believe the detentions of Kovrig, who works for the
International Crisis Group, and Spavor, who is frequently consulted on
matters linked to North Korea, were retaliatory actions following the arrest
in Vancouver of Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, who faces
extradition to the United States.
Washington has accused her of fraud for helping evade US sanctions against
Iran. She was later released on bail pending her extradition hearing.
Backed by the US and several European countries, Canada’s foreign minister
Chrystia Freeland has repeated called for the immediate release of Kovrig and
Spavor, whose arrests Ottawa has termed arbitrary.