Dear Uncle Xi: Let our people go

Dear President Xi, Canada ignited the anger of the fier y dragon by arresting Huawei’s CFO Meng Wanzhou two months ago. Huawei is China’s most successful global firm. It is the epitome of China’s technological rise and challenge to the United States. You perceived this as a direct affront to your regime and to the upper echelons of the Chinese Communist Party. You regard this as a loss of face.

In turn, you arrested former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor in retaliation. We understand your fury. First, allow us to remind you that it is the U.S. — not Canada — that brought charges of fraud, money laundering and breaching sanctions against Meng Wanzhou and Huawei. Canada had to honour that treaty. Of course, the decision to grant the extradition request ultimately lies with Canada’s minister of justice and attorney general.

But let’s not forget, just two short years ago the Chinese government sought an extradition treaty with Canada. Canada agreed to negotiate on it. If that extradition treaty had been in place and China had made a request to extradite one of its “economic fugitives,” Canada would arrest that person and hand him or her over to China. This is how an extradition treaty works. Your fury with Canada is premature and unwarranted.

Secondly, we are writing to you from the point of view of second-generation Chinese Canadians. We are the future of the Chinese Canadian diaspora, a diverse community 1.8-million people strong. We are caught between a rock and a hard place watching two fellow Canadian citizens held in your country without charge, denied access to lawyers and refused a trial. It has been soul-crushing for many of us.

Our former ambassador to China, John Mccallum, revealed that Michael Kovrig faces up to four hours of interrogation daily.

That kind of abuse is simply wrong. Meng Wanzhou was arrested and then promptly released on bail in Canada. Her human rights are not violated under the Canadian judiciary system.

She currently lives in her plush multi-million-dollar mansion in Vancouver. She goes shopping with her friends. There is a point of fairness to be made here.

It is wrong to hold Michael Kovrig or Michael Spavor in awful conditions and subject them to torture.

When he was still a free man, Michael Kovrig openly and frequently met with Chi- nese officials. China deemed his activities to be fine at the time. It has now changed its tune and argues that they were illegal. The lack of clarity and transparency around these kinds of practices does not place China in a positive light, nor does it sit well with the rest of the international community.

President Xi, you are seeking leadership in a liberal world order. By holding two harmless Canadians hostage, China does not send a message that it is ready to lead. On the contrary, this ongoing saga shows that China is still in many ways unsophisticated and primitive in its approach to diplomacy. If China truly wants to be understood, then it must first win over the hearts and minds of the West.

If you cannot even convince people like us, secondgeneration Chinese Canadians, that you are a responsible leader, how can you effectively promote China’s “soft power” to the West?

A superpower needs to act like one. China should open its arms to welcome the likes of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, allowing them to conduct research, provide constructive criticism and share knowledge with Chinese officials and scholars.

Their enthusiasm to build lasting and productive relations with China ought to be applauded, not punished.

President Xi, we feel some trepidation before writing you this letter. We are uncertain how it will be received.

We don’t know if our families in China will be adversely affected. But as Martin Luther King Jr. is widely credited with saying, “the hottest place in hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.” Our organization is determined to tell the story of China through a thoughtful, critical and balanced lens while upholding the Canadian values of freedom, liberty and fairness.

The Chinese New Year we celebrated this month symbolizes a time of reunion for families across China.

In this spirit, we respectfully ask that you free Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor so they can be reunited with their families and loved ones.

If an immediate release is not possible, we implore you — at the very least — to improve the conditions under which they are currently being held.

Signed (in alphabetical order): Robin Ma, director of the Canadian Chinese Political Affairs Committee (CCPAC); Anthony Ni, CCPAC co-founder; Karen Woods, CCPAC co-founder; and Elsa Zhang, CCPAC director.