They were in the air at exactly the same time.
That’s what Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, Distinguished Fellow of Canada’s Asia Pacific Foundation and longtime China liaison for the Canadian government, couldn’t stop thinking about Saturday morning when Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor landed in Canada after more than 1,000 days incarcerated in Porcelain.
The biggest surprise to former China diplomats and observers across the country who spoke to the Star on Saturday was that the Michaels boarded a plane to return to Canada in a near-perfect concert with Meng Wanzhou’s plane ride to China.
“The fact that they immediately paralleled Meng only underscores the fact that their cases were closely related to Meng’s,” he said. “It’s a test of hostage diplomacy, and we shouldn’t feel too good about it.”
Multiple experts on China’s relations with China told the Star they were surprised that, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Kovrig and Spavor were on their way home to Canada on Friday night, the exchange of Meng Wanzhou for the Two Canadians looked like a Cold War-era hostage exchange. between the United States and Russia.
And it was surprising because China has insisted since it first detained Kovrig and Spavor that their cases are unrelated to Meng’s. That the Canadian Air Force plane carrying the Michaels nearly crossed Meng’s in mid-air contradicted that claim forever.
“That’s what I take away from this. From the beginning, (Chinese officials) spoke from both sides of their mouths, ”said Clive Ansley, consultant and former professor of Chinese history and law. “What you really want to do is leave the message that you know what will happen if you mess with us.”
Colin Robertson, a former Canadian diplomat with experience in both Asia and the United States, said he was surprised and excited that the Michaels were returning home the same day Meng was able to return to China.
“All of this would have been carefully choreographed and arranged in advance. What’s impressive is that he stayed close to the vest for all three parts, ”he said.
Robertson watched Friday’s events, from Meng’s virtual appearance in a Brooklyn courthouse, to a hearing in Vancouver to have his extradition request withdrawn, to Trudeau’s announcement that Kovrig and Spavor would be returning home, as a result of meticulous negotiations between the United States and China. Canada stands firm both in the rule of law and in its demand that the Michaels be released.
“This is geopolitics at the highest level,” he said. “And we were pawns, but I think we used our relative position as a pawn to make something happen for Canada.”
The US Department of Justice and Meng’s attorneys began talking about the possibility of a deferred prosecution agreement that would free Meng. the last December under the Trump administration, according to reports first published by the Wall Street Journal. Those talks reportedly resumed this month, with Canadian representatives ensuring that the Michaels’ release was on the table every step of the way.
US President Joe Biden has said securing the release of the two Canadians was a priority, and Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau said Biden was treating the Michaels as if they were US citizens in talks. with China.
McCuaig-Johnston said Canadian Ambassador to China Dominic Barton has been a key figure in making sure the Michaels stay on the Americans’ radar.
“A few months ago, at the time of the Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor trials, Dominic Barton was in Ottawa, and then Washington and New York, meeting everyone in the sun trying to find a way out.”
At the end of the day, Robertson said, the negotiation that would have mattered the most to Kovrig and Spavor was the one between the United States and China, in which the United States “stood up for its closest ally” to make sure not a moment was wasted. to bring the Michaels home.
Each side, he said, had to give a little. The Americans agreed that Meng Wanzhou would plead “not guilty” to the fraud charges against him. China and Meng agreed to have Meng take responsibility for a four-page statement of fact that claims he said misleading things about Huawei’s dealings with Iran. This could help the Justice Department prosecute Huawei and allow Meng to go home.
“I have a feeling that about a week and a half ago, when Biden and Xi Jinping had their conversation, I think this is probably one of the issues raised in that conversation,” Robertson said. “So I think the Americans took this into account and I think they are determined to show the alliance that they are a reliable ally.”
It could be a step in a slow process, he said, of countries around the world coming together to develop a new way of dealing with China.
Trudeau did not immediately respond to questions about what the Michaels’ return means for Canada-China relations Friday night.
Reference-www.thestar.com