The Chinese government has detained two Canadian citizens in response to the arrest of a Huawei chief financial executive.
The detainment has resulted in increased tensions between China and Canada. The governments have yet to formulate a solution, and the fate of Chinese and Canadian relations remains undetermined.
The uncertainty of the relationship between China and Canada gained an international presence after the arrest of Huawei Executive Meng Wanzhou, who has been sentenced to house arrest in Vancouver. Meng’s arrest has proven to be a predicament for Canada. Visiting Assistant Professor of Canadian Studies Neil Forkey said, “it puts Canada in between two superpowers,” these being the United States and China.
The difficult situation is mainly due to the extradition treaty that allows Canada to arrest Meng, even though her charge of fraud stems from the United States. Soon after Meng’s arrest, Michael Korvig, a Canadian diplomat, and Michael Spavor, a Canadian businessman, were taken into Chinese custody in December 2018.
When asked if the detainment was an act of retaliation, Joseph Jockel, Professor and Chair of Canadian Studies, replied, “unquestionably.” While Korvig and Spavor have received Canadian council in China, “there is no success in securing their release so far,” said Forkey.
In addition to the detainment of Korvig and Spavor, another Canadian citizen, Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, was arrested in China due to drug smuggling allegations. Schellenberg has appeared in court and has recently been sentenced to death, but an actual date has not been set. Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Christina Freeland, has spoken out about Canada’s disapproval of the death penalty.
The differing opinions concerning the death penalty further strain the relationship between China and Canada. The tensions are also apparent in warnings that Chinese administration gives its citizens about traveling to Canada. Similar warnings are also given in Canada about visiting China.
The dissolution of such tensions is challenging due to the fact that the fates of Meng, Korvig, Spavor and Schellenberg are uncertain. However, according to Jockel, “it’s too early to say” if the current strains between China and Canada will have lasting effects.