Close X
Thursday, November 28, 2024
ADVT 
National

China: Detained Canadian Does Not Have Diplomatic Immunity

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 14 Jan, 2019 09:14 PM

    BEIJING — A former Canadian diplomat detained in China last month does not enjoy diplomatic immunity, a Chinese spokeswoman said Monday, rejecting a complaint from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the man's rights were being denied.


    Trudeau said last week that Chinese officials were not respecting the diplomatic immunity of Michael Kovrig.


    He was arrested along with Canadian entrepreneur Michael Spavor on vague national security allegations after a top Chinese executive with telecommunications network equipment giant Huawei was detained in Canada on Dec. 1 at the request of Washington.


    However, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters Monday that Kovrig is no longer a diplomat and entered China on an ordinary passport and business visa.


    "According to the Vienna Convention of Diplomatic Relations and international law, he is not entitled to diplomatic immunity," Hua said at a daily briefing.


    Kovrig, a Northeast Asia analyst for the International Crisis Group think-tank , took a leave of absence from the Canadian government.


    Washington wants Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou — the daughter of the company's founder — extradited to face charges that she misled banks about the company's business dealings in Iran. She is out on bail in Canada and awaiting a bail extradition proceeding next month.


    China's ambassador to Canada accused the country last week of "white supremacy" in calling for the release of the two Canadians, while describing the detentions as an "act of self-defence."


    However, Hua said the allegation that China arbitrarily detained Canadian citizens is "totally groundless."


    On Friday, Poland arrested a Huawei director and one of its own former cybersecurity experts and charged them with spying for China. That comes amid a U.S. campaign to exert pressure on its allies not to use Huawei, the world's biggest maker of telecommunications network equipment, over data security concerns.


    Poland's move has raised concerns over the safety of its nationals in China, although Hua appeared to brush off such worries, emphasizing China's desire for the "sound and steady" development of relations with Poland.


    "As long as the foreign citizens in China abide by Chinese laws and regulations, they are welcomed and their safety and freedom are guaranteed," Hua said.

     

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Stranger Replaces Good Samaritan's Stolen Cellphone In Nanaimo, B.C.

    Stranger Replaces Good Samaritan's Stolen Cellphone In Nanaimo, B.C.
    Const. Gary O'Brien says the local detachment was swamped with offers to help Anne Marie Behan after police issued a news release on her predicament.

    Stranger Replaces Good Samaritan's Stolen Cellphone In Nanaimo, B.C.

    BC Conservatives To Run Candidate In Upcoming Byelection In Nanaimo

    BC Conservative party says it will participate in the upcoming provincial byelection in Nanaimo and expects to name its candidate in the coming weeks.    

    BC Conservatives To Run Candidate In Upcoming Byelection In Nanaimo

    Windstorm That Swept B.C. South Coast Among 'Most Severe' In Years: Hydro

    Windstorm That Swept B.C. South Coast Among 'Most Severe' In Years: Hydro
    It's one of several communities dealing with the aftermath of Thursday's storm, which BC Hydro is describing as among the most severe in many years.

    Windstorm That Swept B.C. South Coast Among 'Most Severe' In Years: Hydro

    Toppling Tree Leaves 1 Dead As Powerful Windstorm Wreaks Havoc On Southwest B.C.

    One person was killed by a falling tree Thursday during a powerful windstorm that battered parts of British Columbia, causing more than 265,000 power outages and forcing dozens of ferry cancellations. 9

    Toppling Tree Leaves 1 Dead As Powerful Windstorm Wreaks Havoc On Southwest B.C.

    BC Parks Threatens $1-Million Fine As It Closes Off Newly Discovered Cave

    BC Parks Threatens $1-Million Fine As It Closes Off Newly Discovered Cave
    The order issued this week says anyone who enters the surrounding area or the cave can be fined and face imprisonment for up to a year.    

    BC Parks Threatens $1-Million Fine As It Closes Off Newly Discovered Cave

    Hells Angels Re-Establish East Coast Presence: 'They Have A Good Footprint'

    Hells Angels Re-Establish East Coast Presence: 'They Have A Good Footprint'
    The Hells Angels have re-established an evolving presence in Atlantic Canada, although experts say they have not expanded their roster of full-patch 

    Hells Angels Re-Establish East Coast Presence: 'They Have A Good Footprint'