Source:
https://scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/2177527/former-canadian-ambassador-china-warns-beijings-detention
China/ Diplomacy

Beijing’s detention of Michael Kovrig has precedent as an act of reprisal, warns former Canadian ambassador to China David Mulroney

  • David Mulroney, Canada’s ambassador in Beijing from 2009 to 2012, sees parallels with a 2014 arrest of two other Canadians
  • Kevin and Julia Garratt were imprisoned for more than two years after Ottawa detained Su Bin on a US request
David Mulroney, Canada’s former ambassador to China, sees parallels between Michael Kovrig’s detention and the 2014 case of Kevin and Julia Garratt. Photo: Harbin University

Canada’s former ambassador to China has cited parallels between Beijing’s detention of former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and the 2014 arrests of two other Canadians – arrests that also occurred after Ottawa acted on a US government request to detain a Chinese national.

David Mulroney, who served as Canada’s ambassador in Beijing from 2009 to 2012, spoke to the South China Morning Post on Tuesday, shortly after reports were confirmed that Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat who worked in China and now works for the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG), had been detained in China.