PRIME MINISTER JUSTIN TRUDEAU SAYS HE IS HOPING FOR GOOD NEWS SOON ABOUT THE TWO MICHAELS WHO ARE BEING HELD IN CHINA IN WHAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS DESCRIBED AS A CASE OF HOSTAGE DIPLOMACY.
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he is hoping for good news soon about the Two Michaels who are being held in China in what Ottawa has described as a case of hostage diplomacy.
China arrested businessman Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig in December 2018, shortly after Canadian police picked up Huawei Technologies chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou on a U. S. warrant. The two men face spying charges.
Asked by Global News on Wednesday whether he thought there would be good news for the men's families before the New Year, Trudeau replied: “I certainly hope so.
“We have been working from the very beginning on this. This will be their third Christmas in arbitrary detention in China. What their families have gone through is just horrific.”
He said the men had shown “an amazing amount of resilience.” The prime minister added, “They are just an inspiration to me ... we're doing everything we can, both directly with China and with allies.”
In an interview with The Canadian Press Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Minister François- Philippe Champagne did not name China but said Canada needed to stand with allies to reverse the “rise of authoritarian regimes.”
“We've seen media freedom being eroded. We've seen disinformation taking place in many parts of the world, trying even to undermine our model of governance. So therefore, I think we need to respond — and we can do that, certainly with our United States allies and our European allies,” Champagne said.
Canada has consistently said the return of the Two Michaels is its top foreign policy priority.
Trudeau's office was not immediately available for comment.
A well- placed Ottawa source, who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation, said they had not heard of any recent developments.
Earlier this month, Reuters reported that U.S. prosecutors were discussing a deal with Meng's lawyers to resolve criminal charges against her.
Talks about a deferred prosecution agreement with the United States Department of Justice had been going on for some time, the Wall Street Journal reported. However, Meng had rejected the latest offer and negotiations were continuing.
Ottawa's ambassador to Beijing said last week that the men were in good mental and physical condition.
“They are both very healthy, physically and mentally. I am deeply inspired by their resilience, and mindset. It's incredible given everything they have gone through,” Dominic Barton told the Canada- China parliamentary committee.
Barton said the embassy was constantly trying to get more access to the men. So far, Chinese officials had only allowed meetings through a closed-circuit television.
“We are obviously very frustrated at not being able to get access,” he said. “We tried to demonstrate how, in Canada, we still allowed people to get access when they have people in detention.”