China’s Envoy Accuses Canada of ‘White Supremacy’ in Huawei Case

(Bloomberg) -- China’s ambassador to Canada has accused the country of adopting “Western egotism” and “white supremacy” in its reaction to the detention of two Canadians following the arrest of a Huawei Technologies Co. executive in Canada last month.

The envoy said Canada is employing a double standard in demanding the release of two men who were detained in China nine days after the arrest of Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou at the request of U.S. authorities. He also took aim at "elites" and "some in the Canadian news media" for saying that China’s judicial system is less independent than Canada’s.

“It seems that, to some people, only Canadian citizens shall be treated in a humanitarian manner and their freedom deemed valuable, while Chinese people do not deserve that,” Lu Shaye wrote in an op-ed published in the Ottawa-based Hill Times newspaper on Wednesday. “The reason why some people are used to arrogantly adopting double standards is due to Western egotism and white supremacy.”

“In such a context,” he added, “the rule of law is nothing but a tool for their political ends and a fig leaf for their practicing hegemony in the international arena. What they have been doing is not showing respect for the rule of law, but mocking and trampling the rule of law.”

Canada has been rallying other countries -- including the U.S., U.K., Germany and France, while Japan took a more subdued tone -- to criticize China’s seizure of the two Canadians. Lu criticized that as "a few individual countries" and questioned if they “really represent the whole international community?”

Former Canadian envoys have drawn a clear link in the cases, saying the two Canadians were detained in response to Meng’s arrest. Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor remain in custody and have had scant access to Canadian authorities. China has said they were detained on “national security” grounds.

Meng was released on bail four weeks ago and is living under restrictions in her million-dollar Vancouver home. The U.S. has also called for the release of Spavor, an entrepreneur, and Kovrig, a former diplomat.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has urged China to “immediately” release the two Canadians, saying they were “arbitrarily” detained. Trudeau has said Canada had no choice but to arrest Meng during a stopover in Vancouver last month due to an extradition treaty with the U.S.

To contact the reporter on this story: Josh Wingrove in Ottawa at jwingrove4@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: David Scanlan at dscanlan@bloomberg.net, Jacqueline Thorpe

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