SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Canadian Michael Spavor detained in China as Huawei row continues
A second Canadian has been detained in China on accusations of harming national security, as tension continues between the two countries. It was confirmed on Thursday that Michael Spavor, a businessman, had been detained in addition to former diplomat Michael Kovrig.
Canada drew Chinese protests after it arrested an executive at telecoms giant Huawei at the request of the US. Meng Wanzhou has been bailed but may face extradition for fraud.
[...] Michael Spavor is a businessman based in Dandong, near the Chinese border with North Korea. He has ties to the North Korean government and has met its leader Kim Jong-un many times.
Ex-diplomat Michael Kovrig currently works for a think tank, the International Crisis Group (ICG), which has said it is concerned for his health and safety. He is being held officially "on suspicion of engaging in activities that harm China's state security".
However, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Lu Kang, suggested another reason, saying the ICG had not been registered as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in China and therefore it was unlawful for its staff to work there. Checks by Reuters news agency did not turn up a registration for ICG on government databases for NGOs or social enterprises.
Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland has said Mr Kovrig's case was raised directly with Chinese officials.
The article has a photo of Spavor standing with Dennis Rodman.
Previously: Canada Arrests Huawei's Global Chief Financial Officer in Vancouver
Arrest of Huawei Executive Causing Discontent Among Chinese Elites
China Arrests Former Canadian Diplomat; Chinese Companies Ban iPhones, Require Huawei Phones
(Score: 5, Insightful) by khallow on Friday December 14 2018, @05:19AM (15 children)
It's interesting how so many people will renege on supposed important legal principles such as equal justice for rich and poor alike, merely because of fear or some ideological ax.
(Score: 4, Informative) by legont on Friday December 14 2018, @06:16AM (9 children)
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2018/12/13/canada-caught-between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place-in-the-case-of-huaweis-meng-wanzhou.html [thestar.com]
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday December 14 2018, @06:55AM (8 children)
(Score: 2) by legont on Friday December 14 2018, @05:26PM (1 child)
The point is, as far as China is concerned, that Canada can do it. China is right that the law in this case is specifically bend to fit politics and it is done for these kind of cases. Basically, China is asking Canada if Canada is her friend. If not, we should expect "grave consequences" sooner or later.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday December 15 2018, @05:11AM
That's not the behavior of a friend.
(Score: 2) by dry on Saturday December 15 2018, @02:18AM (5 children)
Trump has already made statements that make it look political or at least turning political. Besides, America under Trump has shown that America is not Canada's friend, redoing NAFTA so the deep state can get its IP shit pushed (not much else changed, as shown by GM's actions as soon as the ink was dry), tariffs for national security reasons, picking absolute monarchs who practice religion in an evil way over Canada are just some examples.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday December 15 2018, @05:14AM (4 children)
And yet, Friend China has imprisoned two Canadians for no reason other than to thwart a lawful court proceeding. What kind of friend does that?
(Score: 2) by dry on Saturday December 15 2018, @05:21PM (3 children)
Never said China is a friend, though we do know where we stand with them.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday December 16 2018, @04:33AM (2 children)
You merely implied that China was more of a friend than the US was.
And "we" know where Canada stands with the US too.
(Score: 2) by dry on Sunday December 16 2018, @05:26AM (1 child)
I implied that China was predictable, that includes a very limited friendship, they're reacting to this situation as pretty expected and it would not be surprising if they crash the economy here, it's expected and we're doing it for a friend, namely the USA.
As for where we stand, we're risking our fucking economy for you, all China has to do is withdraw from the real estate market along with a couple of other industries and we're likely fucked.
Over the years, we've taken your political refugees, whether wrong party, actually enslaved or just drafted. When you were attacked, we took thousands of you into our homes, even showed up with whole fire departments. Bush thanked everyone but Canada. We gave a lot of help in building the bomb, and didn't complain when you told us to fuck off after, we're not sharing.
It's your country that has responded with national security concerns about us, various BS tariffs a reworked NAFTA that brought all the TPP shit back and still left things so GM started closing plants as soon as the ink was dry. When we mentioned how Saudi Arabia treated its woman and the Saudi's freaked out, the feeling was it was encouraged by your government. There's also the BS about us taking advantage of you under NAFTA when all our fucking good manufacturing jobs went to America after the first free trade agreement and even now you run a small surplus in trade and services and fuck us with your agriculture subsidies.
Then there is pushing your weight around where we have border disputes and someone is likely to get killed.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday December 17 2018, @02:40AM
No, sorry that's not where you stand. That's where Canada stands. You've instead established that you'll roll over for the bigger bully.
Less fucked than China would be. Meanwhile it'll be a windfall for those Canadians buying all that cheap real estate and entering those markets. There is this bizarre insistence that China can do incredibly stupid things that give wealth to Canada, and somehow it'll be bad.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 14 2018, @10:37AM (3 children)
Looks similar to the charge brought against Maria Butina, for which she's had several months of solitary confinement while awaiting trial.
Just another case of China stealing ideas from the US.
(Score: 2, Offtopic) by khallow on Friday December 14 2018, @01:26PM (2 children)
Are you looking? Or are you whataboutisming? Why exactly does illegal activity by Butina, shown in court and to which she plead guilty [wikipedia.org], justify capricious, extortive arrests by the Chinese government?
Only if you ignore the past 80 years of Chinese Communist history, could you possibly believe this is a thing that was acquired from the US.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 14 2018, @03:55PM (1 child)
Just wait. Few months in solitary, and these Canadian criminals are going to be happy to plead guilty, sit a few more months in jail, and then go home.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday December 14 2018, @04:34PM
(Score: 3, Insightful) by aclarke on Friday December 14 2018, @03:34PM
I agree with you on this one. I hope our government doesn't give in to kidnapping and ransom which is essentially what the Chinese have done. It makes them look in my mind like a child bully and is an entirely inappropriate response to this situation.
I would like our government to stay the course, follow the rule of law, and let other parties make the decisions they're going to make without taking responsibility in any way for others' actions. I'm sad for those caught in the crossfire, but giving into coercion attempts doesn't seem like the right long-term strategy.
China plays a long-term game, and Canada needs to learn to do the same when dealing with China.