Canadian diplomats will be granted access “shortly” to the second Canadian detained in China, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday, as he predicted consequences for Canada’s economy from the U. S.-China trade war.
Canadian diplomats will be granted access “shortly” to the second Canadian detained in China, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday, as he predicted consequences for Canada’s economy from the U. S.-China trade war.
“We are a country that is deeply supported and engaged in global trade,” Trudeau said. “And when the two largest economies in the world are trying to disrupt global trade, there’s going to be consequences for Canada.”
Trudeau addressed the fate of the entrepreneur Michael Spavor, one of two Canadians arrested in China earlier this week, during a wide-ranging interview with The Canadian Press.
Spavor and former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig were taken into custody this week in Beijing, days after the RCMP arrested a top Chinese business leader transiting through Vancouver at the behest of the United States. The U. S. wants Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies, to be extradited to the U. S. to face fraud charges.
Earlier Friday, John McCallum, Canada’s ambassador to China, met for the first time with Kovrig, who is on a leave of absence from Global Affairs Canada. He served as a diplomat in China until 2016 and has been working for the International Crisis Group, a non-governmental agency. China says he’s been harming its national security.
“We seek consular access, which we’ve gotten already in one of the cases, and are going to have in the second case shortly,” Trudeau said Friday. “We’re hopeful that it’ll happen soon.
