The U.S. Urges China to Release Two Detained Canadian Citizens

On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo advised the Chinese government to release two Canadian citizens who were imprisoned in retaliation for the arrest of a senior Huawei executive in Canada. Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's Chief Financial Officer and the daughter of the company's founder, was arrested two weeks ago at the request of U.S. officials in connection with circumventing sanctions against Iran. In response, the Chinese government confirmed on Thursday that it had detained two Canadian citizens, escalating tensions in China-Canada relations. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the detention of the two Canadians in China, and on Friday, Canada's Minister of Tourism canceled his trip to China in connection with this issue. On the same day, Canadian Secretary of State Pompeo described the detention of the two Canadian citizens in China as 'illegal and unacceptable' during a press conference after meeting with his Canadian counterpart in Washington. He stated, 'They must return to Canada... We urge all countries in the world to treat the citizens of other countries properly.' According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat and current advisor to the International Crisis Group, and Michael Spavor, a business and financial consultant, were detained in China on Monday. Both are accused of 'endangering China's national security.' The Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that on Friday, officials were allowed consular access to one of the detained citizens, and efforts to contact the second detained Canadian continue. Meng Wanzhou, whom U.S. officials seek to extradite and prosecute in the United States, has been released on bail but is not allowed to leave Canada. U.S. President Donald Trump previously stated that if Meng's detention worsens relations between Washington and Beijing, he might intervene to resolve the issue. However, the Canadian Secretary of State emphasized in a press conference on Friday that it is clear that any country requesting extradition must ensure that the judicial process is not politicized.