The China file is back on the desk of Canada’s foreign affairs minister, Francois-Philippe Champagne. Not that it ever wandered very far.
Listen to the full episode47:42
The China file is back on the desk of Canada’s foreign affairs minister, Francois-Philippe Champagne. Not that it ever wandered very far.
Relations between the two countries have been in a deep freeze ever since the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver on a U.S. extradition warrant back in December, 2018.
The freeze turned glacial when China arrested two Canadians in a move the Canadian government called an act of retaliation for its decision to live up to Canada’s commitment to the rule of law.
“The release of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor remains my absolute priority,” Champagne said in a wide-ranging interview airing Saturday on CBC’s The House. The conversation covered relations with China, how the World Health Organization responded to the coronavirus outbreak, the future of Hong Kong and Canada’s bid for one of the rotating seats open next year on the United Nations Security Council.
Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne joins Chris Hall to discuss China’s move to end the” one country, two systems” for Hong Kong and Canada’s still icy diplomacy with China. 9:37
It’s a statement the foreign affairs minister has made before in describing efforts to not only win the men’s release but to regain consular access that was cut off in recent months because of the pandemic.
Could Meng Wanzhou be free in a week?
Requests for virtual visits have been denied. Calls from allies for their release have been ignored.
But there could be some movement soon. Next week, B.C.’s Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes is expected to rule on the question of “double criminality” — on whether the accusations against Meng (that she defrauded banks by lying about her company’s control of a subsidiary suspected of violating American sanctions against Iran) amount to a criminal offence in Canada. If Meng wins the day, she might be free to leave Canada.
Champagne won’t say what the Trudeau government will do if that happens. Might it launch an appeal that would keep Meng here for the tim