China doesn’t understand Canada’s independent judiciary, Justin Trudeau says, citing response to arrest of Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou
- PM points to Beijing’s ‘distressing’ linkage of Chinese tech executive’s case with detention of two Canadians in China
- Chinese ambassador Cong Peiwu calls Meng’s case ‘the biggest issue in our bilateral relationship’
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Beijing’s linking of its detention of two Canadians in China to the arrest of a Chinese executive in Vancouver shows it does not understand the meaning of an independent judiciary, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday.
China detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor in December 2018, nine days after the arrest on a US warrant of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver.
“We’ve seen Chinese officials linking those two cases from the very beginning,” Trudeau said.
“Canada has an independent judicial system that functions without interference or override by politicians. China doesn’t work quite the same way and doesn’t seem to understand that,” he said, calling the linkage of the cases “distressing” while vowing to continue to press for the release of the two Canadians.
The arrests led to the worst ever crisis in relations between the two nations, with accusations of “arbitrary detentions” and hostage diplomacy met with trade sanctions and suspended consular visits.
Kovrig and Spavor have been held on espionage suspicions, and refused access to lawyers.
Meng, meanwhile, has been living in a Vancouver mansion after being granted bail while fighting extradition in court.
‘Unique’ extradition hearing for Meng as coronavirus empties Vancouver court
The United States is seeking to put her on trial for Huawei’s alleged violations of US sanctions against Iran.
Earlier, Chinese ambassador Cong Peiwu told Global News that “competent Chinese authorities are handling the cases [of Kovrig and Spavor] according to law”.
He then pivoted to Meng, saying her case was “the biggest issue in our bilateral relationship”, renewing demands that she be sent back to China “smoothly and safely”.
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Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou’s extradition hearings begin
If the judge rules against Meng, then the case will proceed to a second phase of arguments in June.
