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Michael Kovrig, former Canadian diplomat, reportedly arrested in China
A former Canadian diplomat has reportedly been arrested in China. The International Crisis Group said Tuesday it's aware of reports that its North East Asia senior adviser Michael Kovrig has been detained.
The Brussels-based non-governmental organization said in a statement it's doing everything possible to obtain additional information about Kovrig's whereabouts and that it will work to ensure his prompt release.
The Globe and Mail in Toronto and the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported the arrest, citing unnamed sources.
Reports of Kovrig's detention come after China warned Canada of consequences for its recent arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at Vancouver's airport. It's unclear if there's any link between the cases.
Some Chinese companies ban iPhones, require Huawei after CFO's arrest: report
Some Chinese companies are banning iPhones and requiring that their employees use Huawei products following the arrest of Huawei's chief financial officer, according to a new Yahoo News report. Meng Wanzhou, the CFO of Chinese telecom giant Huawei, was arrested by Canadian authorities last Saturday at the request of the U.S. after allegedly violating trade sanctions against Iran. Chinese officials have strongly protested Meng's detention.
Now, Chinese companies are promoting Huawei and barring Apple, an American company. Menpad, an LCD display maker and Huawei supplier, on Monday said it will punish employees who buy iPhones with a fine equivalent to the American smartphone's market price, the South China Morning Post reported. It also vowed that the company will no longer buy American products, including office supplies and computers, and will offer a 15 percent subsidy for employees who are buying Huawei phones, according to the Post.
Japan's top three telcos to exclude Huawei, ZTE network equipment: Kyodo
Japan's big three telecom operators plan not to use current equipment and upcoming fifth-generation (5G) gear from China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and ZTE Corp, Kyodo News reported on Monday.
The news, for which Kyodo did not cite sources, comes at a time of heightened scrutiny of Chinese tech firms by Washington and some prominent allies over ties to the Chinese government, driven by concerns they could be used by Beijing for spying. Last week sources told Reuters that Japan planned to ban government purchases of equipment from Huawei and ZTE to ensure strength in its defences against intelligence leaks and cyber attacks.
See also: How Meng Wanzhou's Arrest Might Backfire
Previously: Canada Arrests Huawei's Global Chief Financial Officer in Vancouver
Arrest of Huawei Executive Causing Discontent Among Chinese Elites
Related: New Law Bans U.S. Government from Buying Equipment from Chinese Telecom Giants ZTE and Huawei
Australia Bans China's Huawei (and maybe ZTE) from 5G Mobile Network Project
Washington Asks Allies to Drop Huawei
(Score: 3, Interesting) by bob_super on Wednesday December 12 2018, @05:59PM (16 children)
Other countries will just happen to have to verify whether that US warrant is printed in the right font and on A4 paper while ... oops ... the Chinese citizen already departed. What a stroke of bad luck !
When the US president is busy insulting or picking fights with most of the World, the Chinese are busy leveraging their soft power and their money. When you need allies to make decisions that could piss off one of the two sides, details matter.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday December 12 2018, @09:56PM (15 children)
Because they didn't really need an international treaty system anyway, amirite? The point here is that the US made a legitimate request. They're merely following the law. Then we repeatedly have this insistence that because China is a bad actor, we should not follow the law. It doesn't make sense.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday December 12 2018, @10:24PM (14 children)
The subtle and complex art of diplomacy includes knowing when to make exceptions, look away, or make mistakes to get to a result that satisfies some without angering others.
And then keep a list, for when it's your turn to need a mistake.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday December 12 2018, @10:46PM (13 children)
Like the "subtle diplomacy" that led to the Second World War? Throwing away basic principles of your society in order to appease the powerful just might have a few unintended consequences.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday December 12 2018, @10:51PM (12 children)
"knowing when to"
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday December 12 2018, @10:56PM (11 children)
That you're still posting indicates to me that you don't know when to.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday December 12 2018, @11:10PM (10 children)
And there I thought we were just having a civil disagreement...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @11:23PM (2 children)
You are talking to khallow. He/she/it pretends to be civil as a strategy for "winning", but there is very little critical thinking going on there. The goal is to keep poking away at your statements till you get upset, then they can claim the moral and logical high ground.
As you can see here they make zero attempt to understand nuances in the debate and simply hold to their agenda.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday December 13 2018, @02:57PM (1 child)
Even if that were true, it's a game you can't play. Once again, we have the posts by an AC about mean-ole khallow and how he's keeping us from having fun or something.
The problem here is that this is a matter of law not a matter of diplomacy. And bob_super is proposing to corrupt this whole system of law merely to let a powerful, rich person free. Not only that, it works against his very principles. For example, he had this to say about the state of the world:
What happens the next hundred times this occurs? How much "discontent" is that going to build up?
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday December 13 2018, @03:06PM
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday December 12 2018, @11:35PM (6 children)
We are. But the key problem here is that your "diplomacy" would compromise a key part of Canada and the US's society, its rule of law, merely to placate temporarily some rich person who happens to have some pull with the Chinese government. You can talk about how "subtle and complex" it is, but the bottom line is that you're throwing all that away for nothing.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday December 12 2018, @11:45PM (5 children)
You must be new at world affairs.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday December 13 2018, @02:20PM (4 children)
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday December 13 2018, @05:39PM (3 children)
As I said: You must be new.
That precedent was set a long long time ago. Before US presidents set up coups in other countries. Before Truman dropped two A-bombs. Before W ordered people tortured.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday December 14 2018, @04:50AM (2 children)
And yet, you still don't seem to get it. You're backtracking on your own beliefs [soylentnews.org], not merely beliefs you don't really care about.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday December 14 2018, @05:41PM (1 child)
Oh, I see. You're confused.
This thread is an acknowledgment of realpolitik.
That doesn't mean I'm happy with it.
Don't mistake pointing out that the powerful will play their games, for not wanting to see many of them have a Battle Royale in retribution for doing so.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday December 14 2018, @11:48PM
Cognitive dissonance does that.
Sometimes we have to do things that we don't want to do. I think this is one of those cases.