China on Tuesday blasted the accusations of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who accused it of carrying out "
coercive diplomacy
" by detaining for already 700 days in a "
arbitrary
" way two Canadians accused of espionage.
Read also: Canada demands the release of two of its nationals from China
Former diplomat Michael Kovrig and consultant Michael Spavor were arrested in December 2018, days after the arrest in Canada of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei.
The United States is demanding the extradition of the leader on charges of bank fraud.
This arrest, carried out by Canada at the American request, caused an unprecedented diplomatic crisis between Ottawa and Beijing.
Like many Western leaders, Justin Trudeau sees the detention of his compatriots as a measure of retaliation.
He raised the subject Monday during a phone call with US President-elect Joe Biden.
“
We have worked with allies around the world to pressure China over the arbitrary detention of two Canadian citizens.
(His) approach to coercive diplomacy is ineffective and of great concern,
”Trudeau told reporters.
Words condemned Tuesday by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
"
These Canadian citizens have been arrested and prosecuted by Chinese judicial authorities because they are suspected of having harmed national security
," spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters, before making the connection with the case of the leader of Huawei.
"
Ms. Meng Wanzhou, she has been detained without reason for over 700 days, without having violated any Canadian law,
" he said.
Meng's lawyers claim that Canadian and US authorities conspired to delay the arrest of their client and thus attempted to obtain information that could help the United States prosecute her for fraud.
His defense asks for access to secret documents that could support this theory.
Canadian justice has so far refused.
"
What the Canadian authorities are doing with Meng Wanzhou is what is called arbitrary detention
," said Wang Wenbin.
“
We once again urge Canada to get to the root of the problem.
It cannot be solved by concealing facts or misleading the public.
The final hearing to determine whether Meng Wanzhou should be extradited is scheduled for next April.
Read also: Huawei case: strong tensions between Canada and China
