US, Canada will cooperate to ‘better compete’ with China, Joe Biden says after first bilateral meeting

Name: China accuses detained Canadians of spying, following Huawei CFO extradition approval
Uploaded: 2021-02-24T03:32:10.000Z
Duration: 1 min 59 s
Description: China accuses detained Canadians of spying, following Huawei CFO extradition approval

Neighbours will work to counter threats to ‘interests and values’, US president says as he pursues multilateral means to hold Beijing accountable

Biden vows to help free Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, detained by China, saying ‘human beings are not bartering chips’

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US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hold their first bilateral meeting, by video link. Photo: Reuters

Owen Churchillin United States

Published: 11:32am, 24 Feb 2021Updated: 3:41pm, 24 Feb 2021

The United States and Canada will work together to “better compete” with China and counter threats to the two countries’ “interests and values”, US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday, following a virtual meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The Biden White House’s first bilateral meeting with a foreign leader, Tuesday’s conference took place amid efforts by the new administration to rally a multilateral pressure campaign against Beijing, and an ongoing dispute between Ottawa and Beijing over the fate of two detained Canadians arrested in China more than two years ago.

“It was an opportunity for Prime Minister Trudeau and I to explore our bilateral partnership to reinforce and help drive issues of concern in our hemisphere and globally,” Biden said of the meeting. “That includes coordinating our approaches to better compete with China and to counter threats to our interests and values.”

Biden also called for the release of the two Canadians, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, who have been detained since December 2018 and denied access to their families and consular support for much of that time.

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China accuses detained Canadians of spying, following Huawei CFO extradition approval

Kovrig and Spavor, who have yet to face trial for charges of endangering national security, were arrested just days after Meng Wanzhou, an executive of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies Co., was held by Canadian authorities at the request of the US.