China ignored diplomatic immunity, says Trudeau

OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused China of ignoring a former Canadian envoy’s “diplomatic immunity” when it detained him last month along with a compatriot.

Michael Kovrig was arrested on Dec 10 in China, after taking leave from his diplomatic posting to work for the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank.

China detained Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor last month, accusing them both of activities that “endanger China’s security” – a phrase often used by Beijing when alleging espionage.

Their detentions are thought to be in retaliation for Canada’s arrest on a US request of Huawei vice-president Meng Wanzhou, who is accused of violating Iran sanctions.

“It is unfortunate that China has arbitrarily and unfairly detained two Canadian citizens, and indeed in one of the cases is not respecting diplomatic immunity,” said Trudeau.

“This is something that we are engaged right now both with Chinese officials and with our partners around the world where there is a concern for the need for all countries to do like Canada and to respect the rule of law and the independence of our judicial processes.”

It was the first public comment on Kovrig’s status.

Officials previously said he was on an unpaid leave from his Canadian government job.