Trudeau again chides China over detention of 2 Canadians

CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER JUSTIN TRUDEAU

TORONTO • Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has chastised China again over the detention of two Canadians and defended his country's arrest of a senior Chinese executive at the request of the United States, which has sparked a Sino-Canadian diplomatic row.

"It is unfortunate that China has arbitrarily and unfairly detained two Canadian citizens," he told reporters in the western Canadian city of Regina in Saskatchewan last Friday.

The two Canadians were held last month after the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies, in Vancouver on Dec 1, at the request of the US which has accused her of violating Iranian sanctions. The Canadian duo's arrest on grounds of national security has largely been seen as China's retaliation for the Meng case.

In an article in the Ottawa-based Hill Times newspaper last Wednesday, Chinese Ambassador Lu Shaye said Canada's demands for the release of the two men reflected "double standards" born of "Western egotism and white supremacy".

Mr Trudeau, asked about the comments, said Canada had simply acted in accordance with the rule of law. Meng has been released on bail and is living in her Vancouver home awaiting further extradition proceedings. "Canada is a country of the rule of law. This is something that we know and we value," Mr Trudeau said. "We have a justice system that is not subject to political interference."

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on January 13, 2019, with the headline Trudeau again chides China over detention of 2 Canadians. Subscribe