Chinese ‘hostage diplomacy’ inspires Canadian-led coalition

Beijing warns a Canadian-championed declaration denouncing arbitrary detention could ‘rebound in the worst possible way’.

Louis Huang of Vancouver Freedom and Democracy for China calls for the release of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig. Picture: AFP

Australia has joined 57 other countries to support a Canadian-led international declaration denouncing state-sponsored arbitrary detention of foreign citizens, almost 800 days after Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig were detained in China.

The new declaration was signed on Tuesday morning (Australian time) and followed a year long diplomatic campaign by the Trudeau government.

Australia was one of the first countries to support the Canadian initiative, which was first raised in bilateral meetings held after Australian citizen Dr Yang Hengjun was detained in China in January 2019.

“Today Australia stands with more than 55 of our international partners in our strong support for universal human rights and reiterates our resolute opposition to the use of arbitrary detention, arrest and sentencing to influence state-to-state relations,” said Foreign Minister Marise Payne in her address.

“We will continue to work with our international partners to counter this malicious activity,” Senator Payne said.

China is one of a small band of countries, along with Iran, Russia and North Korea, that uses the detention of foreign citizens as part of its statecraft, a practice dubbed “hostage diplomacy”.

Many business people from countries with strained bilateral relations with China — including Australia — stopped travelling to China after the detention in December 2018 of the two Canadians, former diplomat Kovrig and businessman Spavor.

In recent days, the Australian government has also warned of the risk of detention in Myanmar, following the unexplained arrest of Sean Turnell, an Australian economist and adviser to deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

During the televised launch of the new initiative, Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau was careful not to name any country that engaged in the “illegal and immoral practice”.

But Kenneth Roth, the head of Human Rights Watch, singled out China’s treatment of the “two Michaels”, who were detained weeks after Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada on a US extradition request.

“The Chinese government‘s detentions of the Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor epitomises this despicable practice,” Mr Roth said during the virtual launch of the Ottawa initiative.

Mr Roth said China had also subjected Australian citizens to similar tactics.

Australian journalist Cheng Lei was detained in Beijing last August, as Canada was gathering international support for a declaration it hopes will shame states against using the coercive tactic.

Ms Cheng, a single mother of two, was this month formally arrested after almost six months of interrogation in a security facility, without access to a lawyer.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised Canada’s leadership and warned against the use of detention in state-to-state relations.

“The broad coalition of governments endorsing this declaration sends a clear message that history remains on the side of human rights and the rule of law – not the cynical use of law as a political tool,” Mr Blinken said.

“Human beings are not bargaining chips.”

China’s state-controlled tabloid the Global Times said the declaration — which coincided with Lunar New Year celebrations — was “an aggressive and ill-considered attack designed to provoke China”.

“China will not be scared and make compromise, Canada’s chosen diplomatic approach has never worked before, and will not achieve any goal in the future, and this very act of Canada will just ‘rebound in the worst possible way’,” the tabloid wrote, quoting an unnamed source.

Chinese officials have repeatedly rejected suggestions that there is any connection between the detention of Mr Kovrig and Mr Spavor, and Ms Meng’s arrest.

Although a Chinese government spokesman said in June 2020 that if Canada set the Huawei executive free it “could open up space for resolution to the situation of the two Canadians”.

Among the founding signatories were Canada’s closest allies — the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand, along with Japan.

Many of Russia’s neighbours, including Ukraine, Finland, Norway, Poland and Georgia, also endorsed the declaration, along with Israel and Lebanon, the only two Middle East states to support it.

No country in Southeast Asia endorsed it. India and South Korea were also absent.

Mr Garneau said the initiative was “only the beginning”.

“Now we must turn our attention to finding constructive ways to build and sustain international momentum to put an end to arbitrary detention,” he said.