Donald Trump and Xi Jinping discussed detained Canadians at G20, Justin Trudeau says
- Canadian prime minister confirms the matter was raised after earlier expressing confidence that it would be
- He says other countries are ‘concerned about the behaviour of China’
Trudeau had earlier said he was “confident” that Trump discussed with Xi the detention of former diplomat Michael Kovrig and consultant Michael Spavor, who are being held in China on suspicion of espionage.
“I can confirm that Mr Trump did speak to his Chinese counterpart about the detained Canadians. This is a concern for us in Canada, but it is also a concern for our allies around the world,” Trudeau said in Montreal.
“I think that what we’re seeing is that so many allies are concerned about the fate of these Canadians and that they’re concerned about the behaviour of China in relation to Canada – the type of behaviour that could affect other countries as well.”
Relations with China soured in December after Canadian authorities arrested Sabrina Meng Wanzhou, a top executive at Chinese telecoms company Huawei, who is wanted by the United States on charges of circumventing sanctions on Iran.