Spying
China has reiterated that the detention of the two Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor is not “arbitrary”, contrary to what Ottawa believes.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has repeatedly called the detention of the two men “arbitrary”.
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China sharply criticized Canada on Saturday, blaming its leaders for “irresponsible” statements about two Canadians accused of spying in China. She called on Ottawa to end its “megaphone diplomacy”.
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In a statement posted on the website of the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa, a spokesman for the Chinese representation said that the evidence against the two Canadians was “solid and sufficient”. China has formally charged with “spying” and leaking “state secrets” Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat previously posted to Beijing, and consultant and businessman Michael Spavor, a specialist in North Korea.
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The two men were arrested in December 2018 a few days after the arrest in Canada, at the request of the American justice, of the financial director of the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, Meng Wanzhou.
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Measure of reprisals
The procedure against the two Canadians is widely perceived in the West as a reprisal, which China formally denies. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has repeatedly called the detention of the two men “arbitrary”.
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“The accusation of allegedly arbitrary detention of Canadian citizens is completely unfounded. Chinese judicial bodies will continue to deal with these cases strictly in accordance with the law, “said the spokesman.
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Describing Meng Wanzhou’s detention as a “serious incident” caused by the United States to attack Chinese high-tech companies and Huawei, he added that she was the victim of arbitrary detention.
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Call to Trudeau
“Stop making irresponsible remarks about the cases of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor and put pressure on China using megaphone diplomacy,” he concluded by calling on Canada to “reflect on its mistakes” in the report. Meng Wanzhou case and to release her immediately.
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About 20 Canadian personalities, as well as Michael Kovrig’s wife, recently called on Justin Trudeau to intervene to end the Huawei executive’s extradition process to facilitate the release of the two Canadians.
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But the Prime Minister, who has regularly asserted the independence of the Canadian justice system, categorically ruled out this possibility Thursday, saying that such a decision would endanger other Canadians in China and around the world.
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(ATS / NXP)
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