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TWO CANADIANS DETAINED in China on spying charges have been released from prison and flown out of the country hours after a top executive of Chinese communications giant Huawei Technologies resolved criminal charges against her in a deal with the US.
Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were arrested in China in December 2018, shortly after Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s chief financial officer and the daughter of the company’s founder, on a US extradition request. Many countries labeled China’s action “hostage politics.”
The deal with Meng calls for the US Justice Department to dismiss fraud charges late next year in exchange for Meng accepting responsibility for misrepresenting her company’s business dealings in Iran.
Canadian Prime Minister JustinTrudeau called a news conference on Friday to announce the release of Kovrig and Spavor about an hour after Meng’s plane left Canada for China.
The arrangement with Meng, known as a deferred prosecution agreement, resolves a years-long legal and geopolitical tussle that involved not only the US and China but also Canada, where Meng has remained since she was arrested at Vancouver’s airport in December 2018.
The deal was reached as President Joe Biden and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have sought to tamp down signs of public tension — even as the world’s two dominant economies are at odds on issues as diverse as cybersecurity, climate change, human rights and trade and tariffs.
Mr Biden said in an address before the UN General Assembly earlier this week that he had no intention of starting a “new Cold War,” while Mr Xi told world leaders that disputes among countries “need to be handled through dialogue and cooperation”.
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What about Richard ?
https://www.thejournal.ie/coveney-richard-ohalloran-5453662-May2021/
@Tom Kelly: we are not supposed to talk about him!!
@Aire Dezamba: that was May 31 and he and his family are supposed to say and do nothing. Time for government to get the finger out and folks to be protesting on Ailesbury Road which you couldn’t do in Beijing or Hong Kong
@Jonathan O’Riordan: China has protests all the time.
@john smith iv: maybe let me know when next political protest is on that I can attend
Guilty or not, all these people aee just pawns caught in a political storm.
@Tommy Chen: The Canadians weren’t guilty. The Chinese just rounded up two random Canadians to use as leverage. It was a despicable human rights abuse. The best “evidence” they had on one of the lads is that he took pictures at the airport.
So China freed the hostages, that’s great.
Now what was that old policy of “we don’t negotiate with terrorists”….how’s that going President Biden?
@TonyB: hyperbolic much?
Whatever China do, it’s always negative from TheJournal.ie, so double standard..
@tommy: mostly what China does is negative as it’s always for their own advantage. Whether that’s in Africa or Asia. So magically 2 Canadians arrested after Huawei debacle started and now released when their CFO is released but no real connection?
@tommy: The CCP don’t deserve to be debated with since they think taking other countries citizens hostage is a good thing to their international relations. They should be shunned and left to implode unless they grow up and stop with the genocides, territorial aggression, sportswashing and generally acting like the big jock with the small todger trying to compensate by bullying everyone else.
@Con Cussed: Whatever did is negative? That’s so double standard and ridicxxx, look what the western countries did in the past 200 years, killed millions n taken over other countries, at least China had never declared any wars in the recent history, not surprised u don’t know anything guess u never learned the world history in school.
@Paul Cunningham: Ya, coz British never killed any Irish!!
@tommy: It’s called “news” Tommy. These aren’t history lessons. Using past historical human rights abuses to justify current ones is the most ridiculous form of whataboutism. Can we not just be anti human rights abuses regardless of who’s committing them!
@tommy: Feel that way too
President Trump admitted that Meng Wanzhou was simply a pawn ( political hostage ) . The Chinese simply copied what the Americans/Canadians had started .
@Des Hanrahan: Where did he admit that. Can you show us some evidence?
It’s good to see China is able to negotiate with the US, none of the other countries have done it, bravo!!!
@tommy: It’s good that they kidnap people, make up lies about them and then intern them for political leverage?
Please do explain….
@John Considine: Kidnap ppl? They committed crimes, millions of foreigners live in China, why they r not being ‘kidnapped’? Talking about kidnap, it’s Canada hold the hostage like a watchdog for the US first, don’t just read ur stories from Journals, do search on some worldwide news source too plz.
@tommy: pot calling the kettle black? Maybe you might read up on China too? South East Asian region, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Uyghur Muslims, Africa. These are just some of the areas where China is the agressif party, emotionally, financially and physically.
@tommy: And yet they uncommitted those crimes and got a free plane ride home very quickly altogether when Daddy Senior Party Member got his little girl back, didn’t they?
Mafia state.
@Con Cussed: sure of coz they played their games on building their influence in south east Asia, that’s nothing compare to the western countries did in the recent history, killed millions of local ppl when taken over their countries, again, so double standard, when China build a harbor in Africa they must b bad, when western countries taken other countries land were totally ok.
@tommy: Have you ever actually been to China? You have a real hard on for them it’s hilarious. Or Hong Kong or Taiwan even? You’re so anti-west you’ve jumped into the arms of what are the nearest thing we’ve had to the Nazis in 75 years (looking at power, level of totalitarianism and the concentration camps!). It’s very sad to watch. The biggest victims of the CCP are the Chinese people. You’re support of them hurts China more than anywhere else. Do you not believe in democracy and human rights? Even if you hate Western imperialism fair enough. But how can you justify supporting an opposing evil? If this was still the cold war you’d probably support the USSR! Gulags and all.
@Thomas Smyth: you will probably find Tommy is from China,never mind having visited there
Biden won’t have a choice but to show force at some point as trump left the Chinese away with too much over the last 4 years which only furthered tension along the Asian coast line and the show of force over Taiwan a few days ago should be enough to convince everyone that the Chinese do not care about what other countries think
Well done Joe, now if you can sort out Guantanamo bay you’ll be on a roll.
They are the worse people ever. They cause some much destruction in the world and get away with it
@Daithi De Roiste: The CCP, not the people are the worst. Such an obnoxious government thats actively dumbing down their own people by the week.
Per headline: replace pair with hostages.
It is utterly disgusting that US kidnap a daughter of CEO in order to gain technology and trade advantage. The CCP deserve a well-done in this case to teach thE bullying US and Canada good lesson.
It is utterly discussing that US kidnap a daughter of CEO in order to gain technology and trade advantage. The CCP deserve a well-done in this case to teach thE bullying US and Canada good lesson.
@Ji Zhang: technology and trade advantage. Are you having a laugh? Years of stealing by Chinese companies . No respect for trade marks etc. You , nothing than CCP bot
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