Back off and free Meng, China tells Canada

China has stepped up pressure on Canada for the release of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou.

Huawei’s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou. Picture: AFP

China has stepped up pressure on Canada for the release of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou while rejecting suggestions from the Canadian government that its ­citizens are at risk of detention and “arbitrary enforcement of local laws” in China.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman urged Canada to release Ms Meng immediately, describing her December 1 arrest at Vancouver airport as “an abuse of the judicial process”.

She rejected a warning issued by Canada this week that its citizens should be cautious about travelling in China, arguing that China was a “safe place” for visiting Canadians who abided by its laws.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland earlier warned Canadians to “use a high degree of caution before travelling to China” after the death penalty ­issued on Monday night to Canadian Robert Schellenberg for his involvement in attempts to smuggle drugs into Australia in 2014.

“It is a complicated and difficult moment in our relationship with China,” Ms Freeland said.

Her comments follow revelations that 13 Canadians have been detained in China since Ms Meng’s arrest to face charges of violating US sanctions on doing business with Iran. Ten of those detained have been released.

Details of only three detainees — a former diplomat, a businessman and a teacher — have been made public since Ms Meng’s ­arrest.

Two men arrested on December 10 — Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat who works as an analyst and researcher for Europe-based think tank the International Crisis Group, and Michael Spavor, a businessman with extensive ties to North Korea — are still in China where they face accusations of endangering national security.

Teacher Sarah McIver, who was accused of violating her work visa, has returned to Canada.

Global Affairs Canada confirmed the detentions of Canadian citizens, although it said most of them had been released and had returned to Canada.

It has not provided any more detail on the other cases, but the Canadian government this week has stepped up its advisory notice to it citizens about the potential for them to be subject to the “arbitrary enforcement” of Chinese law following the announcement that Schellenberg would be executed for attempting to smuggle 222kg of methamphetamine from China to Australia in pellets stuffed in car tyres.

The US State Department has also issued warnings to its citizens travelling to China over potential “arbitrary enforcement of local laws”, but so far China’s anger appears to be focused on Canada for arresting Ms Meng, rather than on the US for being the source of the extradition request.

Ms Meng remains out on bail but has to return to court in Vancouver on February 6 for a hearing on a potential extradition.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has hit out at this week’s court decision, which changed Schellenberg’s original sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment to the death penalty after a retrial of his case last month.

Mr Trudeau accused China of ­“arbitrarily” applying the death penalty.

Australia’s Acting Foreign Minister, Simon Birmingham, said yesterday that Australia was “deeply concerned” about the case. “We expect at a level of principle that not only the death penalty should not be applied but also, wherever people are in trouble, the law ought to be applied fairly,” he told the ABC.

China has reacted angrily to the Canadian criticism.

“We urge the Canadian side to respect the rule of law, respect China’s judicial sovereignty, correct its mistakes and stop making irresponsible remarks,” its Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said last night. “The Canadian government needs to issue advice for its citizens — not for any possible danger in travelling in China, but to warn them against involvement in such a grave crime as drug trafficking.’’