China and Canada

Canada's defense minister slams Chinese fighter jets' "dangerous and reckless" intercept of a Canadian maritime patrol aircraft while it was helping to enforce United Nations sanctions against North Korea.

The Chinese planes shadowed the Canadian Aurora aircraft over several hours in international waters, with one coming within five meters (15 feet) of the Canadian plane, according to a Global News television crew on the flight.

Speaking to reporters in Ottawa, Defense Minister Bill Blair called the Chinese air force's actions "unprofessional." — AFP

China says Canada had "sabotaged" relations between the two nations by expelling a Chinese diplomat Ottawa had accused of seeking to intimidate a lawmaker critical of Beijing.

"The Chinese side will take resolute countermeasures and all consequences arising therefrom shall be borne by the Canadian side," a statement from the Chinese embassy in Canada says, calling on Ottawa to "step back from the brink." — AFP

China condemns Canada's "groundless" Huawei 5G ban. — AFP

The trial for Michael Kovrig, the Canadian detained in Beijing for more than two years on espionage charges, has started, a Canadian diplomat says outside the courtroom on Monday.

"We're very troubled by the lack of access and lack of transparency in the legal process," says Jim Nickel, the charge d'affaires of the Canadian embassy in Beijing, after being barred from entering the court. —  AFP

Lawyers for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on accuse Canadian authorities of destroying evidence, saying federal police wiped the emails and computers of a senior officer involved in her extradition case.

Meng, the Chinese telecom giant's chief financial officer, is fighting extradition to the United States where she faces charges of bank fraud and conspiracy related to a Huawei subsidiary's alleged violations of US sanctions on Iran. 

Both Meng and Huawei deny any wrongdoing. —  AFP

Canada's foreign minister has called the release of two citizens detained in China a "top priority" for his country during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart in Italy.

Relations between Beijing and Ottawa have been increasingly bitter since an executive for Chinese tech giant Huawei was arrested in Vancouver in December 2018 and China detained two Canadian nationals in apparent retaliation.

Canadian foreign minister Francois-Philippe Champagne on Tuesday said the cases of former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor "remain a top priority for the Government of Canada". — AFP

A senior Huawei executive whose arrest in Vancouver led to a breakdown in Canada-China relations headed to court on Monday to fight extradition to the United States.

Meng Wanzhou, the company's chief financial officer and eldest daughter of its founder Ren Zhengfei, is wanted by US authorities for alleged fraud.

In order to secure her freedom, the "princess of Huawei" must convince a Canadian judge that the US charges — linked to alleged violations of US sanctions on Iran — would not stand up in Canada and are politically motivated.

The US alleges Meng lied to HSBC about Huawei's relationship with its Iran-based affiliate Skycom, putting the bank at risk of violating US sanctions against Tehran. — AFP

China's ambassador to Canada calls on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government to "correct its mistake" of detaining Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou last year on a US extradition warrant.

Ambassador Cong Peiwu issued the statement after visiting Meng at her mansion in Vancouver, where she is under house arrest pending an extradition trial scheduled to start in January.

Cong says that he stressed to Meng that Beijing is "determined to protect the just and legitimate rights and interests of its citizens and enterprises, and will continue to urge the Canadian side to correct its mistake and take measures to solve the issue as soon as possible."

"We expect (Meng) to go back to China safe and sound at an early date," he says.

Meng's arrest last December during a layover at Vancouver's international airport triggered an escalating diplomatic row between Canada and China. — AFP

China says it accepted Canada's choice for a new ambassador to Beijing but urged Ottawa to "reflect on its mistakes" amid diplomatic tensions between the countries.

Relations nosedived in December after Canadian police arrested a top executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei in Vancouver on a US warrant over charges related to the violation of Iran sanctions.

Beijing detained two Canadians -- former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor -- days later in apparent retaliation, with both men now facing espionage-related accusations. — AFP

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says US President Donald Trump raised the issue of two Canadians detained in China with President Xi Jinping in a recent meeting,

Trudeau had earlier said he was "confident" that Trump discussed with Xi the detention of ex-diplomat Michael Kovrig and consultant Michael Spavor, who are being held in China on suspicion of espionage.

"I can confirm that Mr. Trump did speak to his Chinese counterpart about the detained Canadians. This is a concern for us in Canada, but it is also a concern for our allies around the world," Trudeau tells a press conference in Montreal. — AFP

The Canadian military says two Canadian naval vessels were "buzzed" by Chinese fighter jets when they sailed through the East China Sea this week.

A Canadian navy helicopter was also targeted by a laser detected from a nearby fishing boat, it says in a statement.

There were no injuries nor damage, but the revelations come amid heightened tensions between the two nations over Canada's arrest of a senior telecoms executive last December and China's detention of two Canadian nationals in apparent retaliation. — AFP

Office of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says China ignored the Canadian leader's personal request for dialogue to end a spiralling diplomatic row.

Trudeau requested the call in January with Premier Li Keqiang so he could "personally advocate" for the immediate release of two Canadians detained a month earlier and for clemency in the case of another Canadian who would later be sentenced to death for drug trafficking, his spokeswoman Chantal Gagnon says in a statement.

"Our appeal for clemency (in the drug case) was also made directly to senior Chinese officials," she adds.

The disclosure comes amid growing domestic calls for Trudeau to step up pressure on China to release the two Canadians, whom his government has said were arbitrarily detained. — AFP 

NATO chief calls on China to treat detained Canadian citizens "fairly and with due process." 

Canada's ambassador to China says it would be "great" if the United States dropped its extradition request for a Chinese telecommunications executive arrested in Canada. — AFP

China has demanded the U.S. drop a request that Canada extradite a top executive of the tech giant Huawei, shifting blame to Washington in a case that has severely damaged Beijing's relations with Ottawa.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying says Meng Wanzhou's case was out of the ordinary and Canada's extradition treaty with the U.S. infringed on the "safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens."  — AP

A group of more than 100 former diplomats and academics have signed an open letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping calling for the release of two Canadians who have been detained on allegations of espionage.

Former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor were on December 10 arrested for activities that "endanger China's security" -- a phrase often used by Beijing when alleging espionage. — AFP

The U.S. State Department says that China's death sentence on a Canadian man is "politically motivated."

The statement from U.S. deputy spokesman Robert Palladino says that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland spoke Tuesday and "expressed their concerns about the arbitrary detentions and politically motivated sentencing of Canadian nationals."

A Chinese court resentenced Robert Schellenberg to death in a sudden retrial of a drug-smuggling case on Monday. — AP

Canada is urging Beijing to grant clemency to a Canadian sentenced to death for drug trafficking, after his sentence reignited a diplomatic dispute that began last month.

Ottawa has warned its citizens about the risk of "arbitrary enforcement" of laws in China following a court's sentencing of Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, 36, to death on Monday, increasing a previous 15-year prison term. — AFP

Beijing has slammed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for making "irresponsible remarks" after he criticized a Chinese court's death sentence against a convicted Canadian drug smuggler.

"We urge the Canadian side to respect the rule of law, respect China's judicial sovereignty, correct their mistakes, and stop making such irresponsible remarks," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying says at a press briefing. — AFP

Get updates on diplomatic ties between Canada and China here. (Photo: AFP/Greg Baker)