China Blasts Canadian PM’s Remarks About Death Sentence of Canadian

China denounced Canada on Jan. 15 for “irresponsible” remarks after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused it of “arbitrarily” sentencing a Canadian to death for drug smuggling, aggravating already icy relations. The two countries have been at odds since early December, when Canadian police arrested Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, on a U.S. extradition request as part of an investigation into suspected violations of U.S. trade sanctions. Days later, China detained two Canadians on suspicion of endangering state security—former diplomat Michael Kovrig and business consultant Michael Spavor. The death sentence for Canadian Robert Schellenberg on Jan. 14 for smuggling 489 pounds of methamphetamines has become the latest strain on ties.

Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg appears in court for a retrial of his drug smuggling case in Dalian, Liaoning province, China, on Jan. 14, 2019. Handout via REUTERS

BEIJING—China denounced Canada on Jan. 15 for “irresponsible” remarks after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused it of “arbitrarily” sentencing a Canadian to death for drug smuggling, aggravating already icy relations. Canada updated its travel advisory on China on Jan. 14, saying Canadians should exercise a high degree of caution “due to the risk of arbitrary enforcement of local laws.”

The two countries have been at odds since early December, when Canadian police arrested Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, on a U.S. extradition request as part of an investigation into suspected violations of U.S. trade sanctions.