US Calls For Consular Access To 2 Canadians Held In China - State Dept.

The United States is calling on Beijing to provide continued consular access to two Canadian nationals detained in China on espionage charges and is troubled by the lack of transparency during their trial, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Tuesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd March, 2021) The United States is calling on Beijing to provide continued consular access to two Canadian nationals detained in China on espionage charges and is troubled by the lack of transparency during their trial, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Tuesday.

The trials of former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor began on Friday in the city of Dandong, where the Intermediate People's Court did not deliver a verdict in the latter's case; Kovrig's trial concluded on Monday, also without a verdict. Canadian diplomatic officials have been barred from the hearings, which have proceeded behind closed doors because of the national security implications of the case.

"We remain deeply troubled by the lack of transparency surrounding the legal proceedings of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, and join Canada in calling for continued consular access in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations," Price said in a statement via Twitter.

In addition to Canadian diplomats, representatives from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and numerous European nations have staged protests outside of the courthouses in Dandong and Beijing, where the trials are being conducted, with Canadian officials attempting gain access at the spot and being turned away by Chinese security officials.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has slammed the actions of Canadian and other foreign diplomats as an attempt to "gang up" on Beijing.

"The Canadian side, by ganging up on China with a few individuals from some embassies in China to point fingers at China's lawful handling of relevant cases involving Canadian citizens, has grossly interfered in China's judicial sovereignty. We deplore and reject that," MFA spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters on Monday.

Kovrig and Spavor have now been detained in China for more than 800 days and Ottawa maintains that the "arbitrary" detentions came in retaliation for Canada detaining Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in 2018 at the request of the United States.

The arrests of Meng and the two Canadian nationals, along with Ottawa's condemnation of Beijing's national security law implemented in Hong Kong and alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang province, has led to a deterioration of relations between China and Canada.

Both nations view the detention of their nationals by the other as political incidents. However, Chinese officials have said that Canada's deference to US foreign policy served as a catalyst for the growing diplomatic rift.