The diplomatic incident is over. Wanzhou Meng, CFO of Huawei Technologies, has settled with the United States government, and the Two Michaels, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, on their way home. This marks the end of yet another incident of hostage diplomacy, and the end result is once again thoroughly disappointing. As much as I’d like to be happy for the return of two of our citizens, I cannot. This was a failure, and all countries involved should be ashamed.
Retreading Old Ground
For those who are unaware, the “two Michaels” incident began on the 1st of December, 2018, when Ms. Meng was placed under house arrest, pending extradition to the United States. The CFO was charged with violating US sanctions and stealing trade secrets. Shortly after, both Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were arrested and placed into a Chinese prison. Nearly three years later, when Ms. Meng’s extradition process was formally beginning, Mr. Spavor was charged with espionage. This was a serious charge, and one for which he’d serve 11 years in prison. Mr. Kovrig was not formally charged at the time. Now, as Ms. Meng has reached a settlement with the United States and has been safely returned to China, both Mr. Spavor and Mr. Kovrig have been returned to us. That is a summary of the incident, and in reading it, I can’t imagine any reasonable conclusion other than that the CCP had engaged in hostage diplomacy.
You may remember that I wrote about the Two Michaels back when Mr. Spavor was first charged. Back then, I said that people’s lives should not be treated as game pieces, and that this kind of negotiation by hostage was unacceptable. I stand by that statement, and I am gravely disappointed at the outcome of this diplomatic fracas. This is not the first time that China has engaged in hostage diplomacy, and it seems that they have yet again achieved their aims through this flagrantly abusive practice. The Two Michaels are also far from the only Canadians to be held in Chinese custody. Robert Schellenberg, who as I mentioned last time has found his sentence downgraded from life in prison to outright execution in the wake of Ms. Meng’s arrest, still remains behind bars. This is disgraceful, and it is infuriating that the international community has done so little to discourage such wretched tactics on the part of the CCP.
The Rules Mean Nothing
Having said that, you may be forgiven for thinking I am being ungracious. After all, the Two Michaels have been returned to us. At least hostage diplomacy was useful, correct? Well, I’m not so sure. The official reason given by the CCP for the Two Michaels’ release was for “health reasons.” If you find that response vague and suspicious, you’re not alone. Even China’s own nationalists find it odd that two men convicted of espionage, extremely serious charges with far-reaching diplomatic consequences, are now simply being
Meng Wanzhou, Photo: VCG
let go as Ms. Meng’s extradition is put on ice.
The simple explanation is, of course, that the charges were bogus. The only reason that Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig were imprisoned for three years and sentenced to espionage charges was so that a powerful financial officer of a government-backed tech giant could avoid legal problems for having broken US Sanctions. If there’s any message to be gleaned from this incident, it is that the CCP has, and always had, the ability to get what they wanted from the international community regardless of legality, and with zero regard for truth or justice.
So, what can We do?
Unfortunately, not much. The entire Two Michaels situation was predicated on an extradition treaty between the United States and Canada, effectively forcing our country into an uncomfortable spot between two conflicting nations. In the end, our countrymen had to suffer for the purposes of another country altogether, and as Ms. Meng settled out of court, it can’t be said that the US even got any justice out of the deal. Several members of Mr. Trudeau’s own cabinet even pushed the Prime Minister to simply give Mr. Xi what he wanted. In the aftermath, we’re left with a lot of questions that need to be answered, and a lot of long-term decisions that need to be made.
This should not happen again. Human lives are not game pieces, and no one should find themselves being used as fodder for a political proxy conflict. We need to change our relationship with the CCP, and we need to do so now. If we don’t, who knows how many more Michaels will find themselves behind bars.
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