President Trump pressed China’s leader on the status of two Canadians detained in Beijing, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
Trudeau told reporters Thursday that Trump fulfilled a promise and asked Chinese President Xi Jinping about Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor when the two leaders met at the G-20 summit last week in Osaka, Japan. He did not say what Trump said regarding the detentions.
“Our approach, highlighting around the world the concerns that people have with the arbitrary detention of two Canadians by China, is working,” Trudeau told reporters in Montréal, adding that “countries are concerned not just for Canadians but for the challenges this poses to the rule of law and to the international rules-based order.”
“Our allies know it is now time to come together to support the values that we share, the rule of law as well. We’ll continue to work with our allies to demonstrate to our Chinese partners that we will remain firm, steadfast, and will continue to defend the rule of law and Canadians’ safety,” Trudeau said.
Kovrig and Spavor were arrested last year and charged with violating China’s national security. The detentions are widely viewed as retaliation for Canada’s arrest last year of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei executive and daughter of the Chinese telecommunications company’s founder, on charges of fraud after the United States made an extradition request.
A reporter asked Trump at a joint Oval Office press conference with Trudeau last month if he planned to discuss the detentions with Xi. “I would. At Justin’s request, I will absolutely bring that up.”
Beijing disputed that Trump raised the arrests in the meeting. “I would like to caution the Canadian side against being too naive,” a Chinese official said.
Trump met with Xi to discuss trade negotiations between the countries, which restarted Saturday. Trump is working with Trudeau to get the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade through Congress.
