Their detention and subsequent indictment under the state secrets law is widely regarded as an act of retaliation against Canada for its arrest of Huawei telecoms executive Meng Wanzhou, and has been cited as an instance of hostage diplomacy. The pair is frequently and colloquially referred to as the Two Michaels.
With the lame duck Trump Administration now coming to an end, the Two Michaels remain in custody in Dandong and Beijing, and there is talk in the United States of letting Ms. Meng skip if only she’ll admit a little guilt. Yesterday, the Chinese government told Canadian officials the Two Michaels had been “indicted and tried.”.
Why were the two michaels detained in china?
The detention of the two Michaels, what China was done to try to thwart Hong Kong’s democratic protests, and the jailing of one million or more Uighur Muslims in harsh reeducation camps, have moved the needle so much that only one Canadian in 10 has a favourable view of China, according to a Nanos poll published four months ago.
Kovrig was the first of the so-called “two Michaels” to be arbitrarily detained by Chinese authorities. Despite his former role, he had no diplomatic immunity at the time of his arrest because he was on leave without pay. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
In December 2018, Canadian nationals Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig were taken into custody in China. It appeared that their detention on December 10 and subsequent indictment under the state secrets law were linked to the arrest of Huawei telecoms executive Meng Wanzhou in Canada on December 1.
Why did China arrest Canada’s Michaels?
It is alleged that both Canadians had endangered China’s security. The arrest of the two Michaels was in obvious retaliation for Canada having a few days earlier detained one of China’s most favoured daughters, Meng Wanzhou.
At the time of the Two Michaels’ arrests for espionage, about 200 Canadians were thought to be in custody in China. There was no uproar at home about those prisoners. Indeed, the Canadian government said virtually nothing about them, usually refusing to comment on their cases.
Yesterday, the Chinese government told Canadian officials the Two Michaels had been “indicted and tried.” Later, they said that was a mistake due to “an inaccurate characterization” by China’s spokeswoman. It seems more likely Beijing intended to increase the pressure on Canada for Ms. Meng’s immediate release as the drama enters its endgame.
Another thing we asked ourselves was; why did China’s government pluck the two Michaels from among 300000 Canadians?
Soon after Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Vancouver two years ago at the behest of U. Authorities, Chinese state security officers arrested two Canadian men, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.
What conditions are the two Michaels being kept in China?
Neither the Chinese nor Canadian governments have provided great detail about the conditions under which the two Michaels are being kept. Each has been allowed regular consular visits about once a month, but so far, neither man has been allowed contact with their family, or access to a lawyer.