Canada’s Foreign Minister, Francois-Philippe Champagne, has requested for the release of two citizens that have been detained in China. During a meeting with China’s Foreign Minister in Italy, the Minister described the request as a “top priority” for Canada.
Relationship between Canada and China have ebbed since an Executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei was apprehended in Vancouver in December 2018 and China retaliated bu detaining two Canadian nationals.
Canada’s Francois-Philippe Champagne said the cases of former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor “remain a top priority for the Government of Canada”.
In a statement released, the Minister called for their instant release during a meeting in Rome with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi.
Kovrig and Spavor were slammed with espionage accusation in June while China has labeled the arrest of Huawei Executive, Meng Wanzhou a political manoeuvre orchestrated for United States, which is requesting her extradition on fraud charges.
China accuses United States of attempting to halt Huawei’s growth.
Wang revealed that Canada should be blamed for the poor ties and urged Canada to “remove the main obstacles currently affecting the development of China-Canada relations.”
Wang said: “China and Canada have no historical disputes or actual conflict of interest, but because of the unprovoked detention of a Chinese citizen, the relationship between the two countries has encountered serious difficulties.”
Meng, who has been charged with bank fraud connected to alleged violations of US sanctions against Iran, is still placed under house arrest in Vancouver while her extradition case is being heard in Canadian courts.
Her lawyers’ request to access intelligence documents to back up claims of abuse of process was denied by Canada’s federal court recently.
In a statement, Canada’s foreign ministry said that Champagne had appealed to China to “grant clemency to all Canadians facing the death penalty in China”.
China has sentenced many Canadians to death on drug related offences since 2019, disclosing that the cases were handled “independently in strict accordance with the law.”
