By Elishya Perera
TORONTO, Canada (CWBN)_According to a statement issued by Global Affairs Canada yesterday (10th October), the two Canadians detained in China have been granted consular access, for the first time, in since January. Accordingly, Canada’s Ambassador to China, Dominic Barton, was granted virtual consular access to Michael Spavor on Friday (9th October) and to Michael Kovrig on Saturday (10th October).
The statement read, “The Canadian government remains deeply concerned by the arbitrary detention by Chinese authorities of these two Canadians since December 2018 and continues to call for their immediate release”.
Spavor, an entrepreneur, and Kovrig, a former diplomat, were detained nine days after the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, a Chinese Huawei official in Vancouver, on a U.S. extradition request. Her arrest has severely damaged relations between China and Canada.
Meanwhile, in a phone call on Saturday (10th October), Prime Minister Justin Trudeau thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for America’s ongoing support in seeking the release of Kovrig and Spavor, while Trudeau also wished Trump and his wife Melania well, following their positive diagnoses of COVID-19.
