Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters on Friday (September 24) that two Canadian citizens detained in Beijing for more than 1,000 days have left Chinese airspace and will return to Canada early on Saturday.
Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were arrested in December 2018 when the Vancouver police arrested Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. under a U.S. arrest warrant. Shortly before Trudeau’s speech, Canadian media reported that Meng Wanzhou flew back to China after reaching an agreement with the US authorities.
Trudeau told reporters in a brief speech: “Twelve minutes ago, Kovrig and Michael Spaffer left China’s airspace and are on their way home.”
Trudeau said: “These two people have gone through an incredibly difficult situation, but they are on their way home. This is inspiring good news for all of us.”
In a statement issued by the US State Department, Secretary of State Blinken welcomed the release of the two Canadians.
Blinken said: “The US government stands with the international community and welcomes the decision of the authorities of the People’s Republic of China to release Canadian citizens Michael Spavor and Kovrig, who have been arbitrarily detained for more than two and a half years. We are very happy that they have returned to their home in Canada. .”
Although Beijing has always insisted that the arrest of two Canadian citizens is not related to the Meng Wanzhou case, Trudeau’s Liberal government has accused China of hostage diplomacy. Trudeau was not asked whether the two countries reached a bilateral agreement.
He said: “I want to thank our allies and partners who have firmly supported Canada and these two Canadians in the international community.”
The Chinese courts conducted separate trials on Cumming Kai and Spafer for the crime of illegally providing state secrets in March this year, and they were not open to the public on the grounds that the case involved state secrets. In August of this year, the court convicted Spaffer and sentenced him to 11 years in prison. Before the release of the two, Kang Mingkai has not yet been sentenced.
Kang Mingkai served as a diplomat at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing. He was temporarily resigned from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was arrested while visiting China as a senior consultant for Northeast Asia from the International Crisis Organization. The agency provided VOA with comments from its interim vice president, Comfort Ero, after learning of Kovrig’s release.
Ai Luo said: “The day we waited for 1020 days has finally arrived. Kang Mingkai is free. To Beijing: We welcome this most just decision. To Ottawa: Thank you for your unwavering support to our colleagues. To the United States: Thank you Willing to support an ally and our colleagues. To the unparalleled, tireless and inspiring Kang Mingkai, welcome home!”
According to the Wall Street Journal, after a judge in British Columbia lifted all conditions for his actions late Friday, Meng Wanzhou read a statement thanking friends and family for their support.
Before heading to the airport, Meng Wanzhou said outside the Vancouver courthouse: “In the past three years, my life has changed drastically.”
In a four-page statement of facts, Ms. Meng admitted that she made false statements to a bank in 2013 regarding the relationship between Huawei and an Iranian-operated company controlled by Huawei, which resulted in the bank’s provision of violations. The service of U.S. sanctions on Iran.
The Wall Street Journal quoted Brooklyn’s acting U.S. Attorney Nicole Boeckmann as saying: “Meng’s admission confirms the crux of the government’s prosecution of this financial fraud. Meng and her Huawei colleagues worked together. Regarding Huawei’s activities in Iran, it deceives global financial institutions, the U.S. government, and the public.”
Meng Wanzhou, 49, is the daughter of Ren Zhengfei, the founder of Huawei, the world‘s largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer and 5G technology leader.
The Wall Street Journal reported that within a few days after Meng Wanzhou was arrested in 2018, trade between Canada and China, sandwiched between the two superpowers, fell sharply, and two citizens were detained in China. Since December 2018, businessman Spaffer and Canadian diplomat Kang Mingkai on leave have been detained in separate Chinese facilities and prisons.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump administration officials discussed similar transactions with Meng Wanzhou’s lawyers at the end of last year, but because Meng Wanzhou insisted that she had done nothing wrong, and prosecutors demanded that she violated U.S. law, These efforts have stalled.
The Wall Street Journal report on Friday quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that as the Biden administration has staffed the Justice Department, officials have revisited these discussions in recent weeks. People familiar with the matter said that in view of Meng Wanzhou’s desire to reunite with her husband and children, this round of negotiations has gained more momentum.
Some U.S. national security experts who urge the U.S. to take a hard-line stance against China say they believe the agreement is a surrender and the Chinese government will use it. The Wall Street Journal quoted Matt Turpin, the former China Director of the Trump Administration’s National Security Council, as saying: “I doubt Beijing will come to the conclusion that hostage-taking is feasible and Washington will surrender under pressure.”
The report said that the agreement to release Meng Wanzhou may arouse strong opposition in Congress, with some Republicans accusing the Biden administration of being too tolerant of Huawei compared with former President Donald Trump. On Thursday, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimundo told the Wall Street Journal that her department will continue its efforts to prevent Huawei from acquiring advanced chips.
Nearly three years ago, Ms. Meng was arrested while transiting in Vancouver. She was charged with her employer in 2018 for misleading the bank on the relationship between Chinese companies and Iran in 2013, thereby violating US sanctions against Iran. Ms. Meng has been confined to Vancouver since then, where she owns a house.
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