Canadian faces retrial in China drugs case

A CANADIAN man who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for drug smuggling in China will face a retrial on Monday, which could hand him a harsher sentence and further strain ties between Beijing and Ottawa. In a statement posted on its website, the northeastern Dalian Intermediate People’s Court said on Thursday that Robert Lloyd Schellenberg’s new trial is scheduled for 8:00am (7:00am in Cambodia) on January 14, but gave no further details. The case comes as Beijing and Ottawa remain embroiled in a diplomatic row triggered by Canada’s December 1 arrest of a senior executive from Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei wanted in the US.