The Chinese embassy in Canada has hit out at the Canadian government for making “irresponsible remarks” about the detention of two Canadian citizens in China.

The spokesperson in a statement issued by the Chinese embassy in Canada urged Canadian leaders to respect China’s judicial sovereignty and stop making “irresponsible remarks” about two Canadians prosecuted on national security charges. Former diplomat Michael Kovrig and entrepreneur Michael Spavor have been detained in China since December 2018 and are prosecuted for spying and gathering state secrets.

“The facts of the crimes are clear, the evidence is true and sufficient, hence there is no such thing as ‘arbitrary detention,’” the spokesperson said in the statement on the Chinese embassy website.

The spokesperson instead accused Canada of “arbitrarily detaining” Huawei executive Sabrina Meng and called them an “accomplice” teaming up with the United States to suppress China and high-tech companies.

The arrest of the two men came days after Canada started detaining Meng on an extradition request from the U.S. accusing the executive of fraud and violating U.S. sanctions.

“Canada should reflect on its own mistakes in the Meng Wanzhou incident, stop political manipulation and immediately release her and let her return to China safely,” the statement reads.

Relations between China and Canada took a turn for the worse after Meng’s arrest, with critics widely seeing the detention of the two Canadian men as an act of retaliation or “hostage diplomacy” some called it.

The embassy also criticized Canadian media for publishing “distorted reports” and for misrepresenting comments made by Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Wednesday.

The Globe and Mail, a Canadian newspaper, reported that China had repeatedly denied any connection between the arrest of Meng and the Kovrig, Spavor cases, yet Zhao had linked the two matters in the press conference.

Zhao was responding to two questions, the first being what was Beijing’s view on suggestions put forward by legal experts that Canada has the authority over Meng’s extradition case and can set her free, and the second was why China has refused requests from Kovrig and Spavor to contact outside parties even though they are allowed consular visits.

Zhao said: “Such options are within the rule of law and could open up space for resolution to the situation of the two Canadians.”

Political commentator Willy Lam told Apple Daily that Zhao had misspoken this time during the press conference and should not have mentioned the two cases together, which some might interpret as hinting that the cases were related. He said it would give the impression that there was “some sort of ‘hostage diplomacy’” and further strain already fraught tensions between the two countries.

Click here for Chinese version.
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