China seethes at Canadian-led declaration

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This article was published 22/02/2021 (1715 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Sometimes you have to stand up to a bully — even if the only thing it earns you is a punch in the nose.

That’s effectively what Canada did last Monday when it launched a 58-nation initiative to stop countries from detaining foreign citizens for diplomatic leverage.

The Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations doesn’t name any particular nation — Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau calls it “country-agnostic” — but it clearly targets China’s detention of two Canadian citizens.

The declaration — the product of a year of behind-the-scenes Canadian diplomacy — was unveiled on the 798th day the so-called two Michaels — Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig — spent behind bars in China after being arbitrarily detained more than two years ago.

Mr. Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat, and Mr. Spavor, an entrepreneur, were rounded up by Chinese authorities nine days after the RCMP arrested Chinese high-tech scion Meng Wanzhou at the Vancouver International Airport in December 2018 on a U.S. extradition warrant.

China has accused Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor of spying and dismissed accusations the pair were detained on trumped-up charges in retaliation for the arrest of Ms. Meng, a leading executive of Huawei and daughter of the company’s founder.

In cobbling together an international coalition denouncing state-sponsored detention for political ends, Canada is standing up to an infamous bully, a country that is well positioned to become the world’s largest economy by the end of the decade.

China’s tendency is to react with rage at the slightest hint of criticism, lashing out at anyone or any nation with the temerity to question its actions. It became incensed as Canada built a coalition of countries to speak out on behalf of the two Michaels, warning the Liberal government of negative consequences if it continued.

Even before the declaration was formally released, the Global Times, a Chinese state-backed newspaper, cited unnamed experts as saying the initiative was “an aggressive and ill-considered attack designed to provoke China.”

The intensity of China’s reaction suggests the campaign touched a nerve. “Canada’s so-called declaration looks more like a confession in which the Canadian side admits its mistake in the Meng Wanzhou case,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying offered last Thursday.

China’s treatment of the two Michaels is deplorable. While languishing in prison, they have been allowed only occasional visits from Canadian diplomats, while Ms. Meng resides in one of her Vancouver mansions under a loose form of house arrest.

Since her arrest, Canada-China relations have plunged into a deep freeze. Just one month after the arrest, China sentenced Canadian Robert Schellenberg to die after a hastily scheduled retrial on a drug smuggling conviction. China also briefly banned imports of Canadian pork and beef, claiming a banned feed additive was found in a shipment of Canadian pork.

The new declaration against so-called hostage diplomacy is not binding and lacks any formal teeth, relying instead on international shame to pressure offending nations. The only real consequence is reputational damage.

History suggests embarrassing China is dangerous and that the declaration, even with the U.S. on board, is unlikely to win the release of Messrs. Kovrig and Spavor. But as Canadian Supreme Court Justice Rosalie Abella once famously said, “It’s not just what you stand for, it’s what you stand up for.”

For standing up to a powerful bully on the world stage, Canada may suffer a few more diplomatic and economic blows. But it will be able to wear those bruises as badges of honour.