As you watch all of those Huawei sponsorship mentions on Hockey Night in Canada on Rogers Sportsnet, consider that China still has 2 Canadians held captive in conditions much worse than how Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou is living in Vancouver. Another Canadian may be put to death.
Canadian canola farmers have been feeling the sting of China's retaliation, at least all of this is "unofficial" retaliation.
Canada sends a lot of canola to China, about $2.7 billion worth in 2018. Suddenly, Chinese customs inspectors said they found "dangerous pests" in Canada canola shipments. Shipments from 3 Canadian companies have been blocked.
- There is no reason to think "dangerous pests" even exist as China hasn't shown any proof.
- Some might struggle with the idea of "China" and "food safety" in the same sentence.
While everything is unofficial, the correlation is clear. China is still upset about the arrest of Meng Wanzhou on Canadian soil at the request of the United States.
Canada paying a price to go along with U.S. desire to arrest Meng Wanzhou
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The original retaliation: 2-for-1 and in horrible conditions vs. living better than most people in Vancouver. A death penalty sentence and canola oil sales to China are icing on an over-frosted cupcake.
Canada could ban Huawei from its 5G networks. Australia is doing that. Australian coal shipments are "suddenly" running into extra scrutiny at Chinese ports, including impurity complaints.
The United States — the country that wanted Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou to be arrested and extradited — hasn't had any retaliation, mostly due to its size and impact of what the country could do in retaliation.
This op-ed provides enough details that, if they are close to being accurate about the conditions where Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig have been suffering for over 4 months, requires swift action.
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This scenario will not magically disappear short of Meng Wanzhou being on Chinese soil and a full apology from Canada, neither of which is happening. Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig are going to be trapped in deplorable conditions for some time.
Robert Lloyd Schellenberg is in a whole different nightmare. Schellenberg was found guilty of drug smuggling and sentenced to 15 years in November. After the Meng Wanzhou arrest, Schellenberg was retried and sentenced to death over the same charges in a one-day trial in Dalian.
There may be a delay in the very slow process, thanks to Meng Wanzhou filing a civil lawsuit, claiming she was unlawfully detained and questioned for 3 hours without being advised of her constitutional rights. She is entitled to file the lawsuit but you can't help but wonder that Canadians Spavor and Kovrig don't have those rights in China for much harsher treatment.
The Canadian canola farmers are innocent financial pawns. They might find other homes for the canola seeds but they had contracts with China.
China is upset against the Western world but Canada is paying the price. The allegations of the connection between Huawei and the Chinese government have strong credibility. In an open world, the threat of Canada banning Huawei from its 5G networks would be a financial incentive for China to release their "hostages." Canada and other countries don't want to use Huawei in their 5G networks but are seeing the financial impact in a world where denying them may not be possible.
photos credit: me
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