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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Remarks on Wanton Comments by Canada on China's Lawful Handling of Cases Involving Canadian Citizens in China

2021-08-12 14:28

Q: On August 10 and 11, the Liaoning Higher People's Court and the Dandong Intermediate People's Court pronounced the judgments in public on the cases of Canadian citizens Robert Schellenberg and Michael Spavor respectively. The Canadian side issued statements to accuse China of the verdicts on these two people and said that China arbitrarily detained Michael Spavor and arbitrarily sentenced Robert Schellenberg. Canada will continue to seek Spavor's release and clemency for Schellenberg. The EU, the UK and others have voiced support for Canada. Do you have any comment?

A: Canada is ganging up with a handful of countries to confuse right with wrong in disregard of facts. They point fingers at relevant courts' lawful handling of cases involving Canadian citizens in China, which has gravely interfered in China's judicial sovereignty and severely violated the spirit of the rule of law. China strongly condemns this.

Canadian citizen Robert Schellenberg was involved in organized international drug trafficking and smuggled 222.035 kilograms of methamphetamine with others, and the amount is especially huge. Michael Spavor was prosecuted for suspected crimes undermining China's national security, and the case was heard in March this year in accordance with law. Relevant Chinese courts have pronounced the judgments in public in accordance with law after hearing the cases and ascertaining the criminal facts. All legal rights of these two individuals have been fully guaranteed.

China is a country with rule of law. Judicial authorities treat all the criminals as equals and handle all cases in strict accordance with law, regardless of the criminals' nationality. No foreign identity can be the amulet. Canada, on the one hand, claims to be a champion of the "rule of law" and "judicial independence", but on the other hand, openly interferes in the handling of cases by China's judicial authorities independently in accordance with law, and brazenly tramples on the spirit of the rule of law that everyone is equal before the law. It fully exposes Canada's hypocrisy of "double standard" and the true intention of politicizing legal issues.

A word for the Canadian side: the attempt to conduct "megaphone diplomacy" and gang up on China failed in the past, and will never have its way in the future. We urge relevant countries to follow the spirit of the rule of law, respect China's judicial sovereignty, and stop making any irresponsible remarks.

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