Chinese Foreign Ministry Advises Citizens To Exercise Caution When Visiting Canada

The Chinese Foreign Ministry and the country's embassy in Canada urged on Tuesday Chinese citizens to exercise caution when traveling to Canada, following the arrest of the chief financial officer (CFO) of Chinese technological giant Huawei at the United States' request last year

BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th January, 2019) The Chinese Foreign Ministry and the country's embassy in Canada urged on Tuesday Chinese citizens to exercise caution when traveling to Canada, following the arrest of the chief financial officer (CFO) of Chinese technological giant Huawei at the United States' request last year.

The announcement came less then a day after Canadian Foreign Ministry warned the county's citizens against traveling to China because of the "risk of arbitrary enforcement of local laws" and the possibility of facing a death penalty. Meanwhile, on Monday, a Chinese court sentenced a 36 year-old Canadian citizen to death for smuggling over 222 kilograms (489 Pounds) of methamphetamine into China as part of an organized international criminal group.

"An incident recently occurred in Canada when a Chinese citizen was arbitrarily detained by Canadian law enforcement agencies at the request of a third country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy in Canada reminds Chinese citizens that they should fully consider the risks associated with traveling to Canada, and exercise caution when visiting this country," the ministry said in a statement.

Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou was arrested in the Canadian city of Vancouver on December 1, 2018, reportedly, for failing to comply with the US sanctions against Iran, and now faces extradition to the United States. The arrest was decried by Beijing, which demanded that Canadian authorities immediately release the Chinese national.

Just a few days after Meng's arrest, Chinese authorities detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor for allegedly posing a threat to the country's security. Beijing denied, however, that the detention had anything to do with Meng's case.