Garneau embraces U.S. ties in bid to free two Michaels
Canada also announces new China sanctions
OTTAWA — Canada’s new foreign minister says he will work with the incoming Biden administration in Washington to find ways to help two Canadian men imprisoned by China.
Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau, the former astronaut who lived nearly a decade in the United States, made the commitment as he took over the portfolio from François-Philippe Champagne in Tuesday’s cabinet shuffle.
Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor have been in Chinese prisons since December 2018 on what Canada and its allies say are trumped-up national security charges in retaliation for the RCMP’s arrest of Chinese high-tech executive Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. extradition warrant.
Champagne’s term as foreign minister ended with a diplomatic bang on Tuesday as he joined his British counterpart, Dominic Raab, in announcing measures aimed at China that would prevent the import of goods produced under forced labour from places such as China’s Xinjiang province.
Concerns include internment camps for Muslim Uighurs in the province, video surveillance, forced labour and the mass sterilizations of women.
China denies it is doing anything wrong in Xinjiang.
Canada’s partnership with Britain on targeting humanrights abuses in China is the result of Champagne’s efforts to build new coalitions with other allies as the Trump administration in Washington pursued an “America first” foreign policy that disrupted traditional international co-operation.
Champagne has also led a more hawkish approach on China as the People’s Republic remained implacable in considering any leniency for the “two Michaels” unless Canada bowed to its pressure and released Meng.
Garneau comes to the portfolio after having already chaired the cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations, including during the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.