Envoy visits Canadian detained in China

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday he expects Canadian diplomats will get access “shortly” to the second Canadian detained in China.

Entrepreneur Michael Spavor was arrested in China earlier this week.

Trudeau says Canada is pushing for the face-to-face meeting with Spavor after Ambassador John McCallum first got to see fellow Canadian detainee Michael Kovrig earlier Friday.

The two men were arrested days after Canadian officials arrested leading Chinese executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver at the behest of American police, so she can be extradited to the U.S. to face fraud charges.

Trudeau says a disruptive U.S.-China trade war — the backdrop of the current Canada-China tensions — will have unintended consequences for Canada’s economy and the world’s.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has also called on the Chinese to release the two Canadians from their “unlawful detention.”

The Americans accuse Meng of committing bank fraud in connection with an alleged attempt to circumvent U.S. sanctions against Iran. She was released this week on $10-million bail, but will face a Canadian court hearing to determine whether she will be extradited to the U.S.

Earlier Friday, Tourism Minister Mélanie Joly announced she won’t go to China to mark the end of a special year of tourism exchanges. The decision puts the brakes on a major Sino-Canadian initiative meant to deepen ties between the countries.