Ex-envoys Call For Release Of Detained Canadians

A group of more than 100 former diplomats and academics have signed an open letter to President Xi Jinping calling for the release of two Canadians who have been detained on allegations of espionage.

Hong Kong based former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor were on December 10 arrested for activities that "endanger China's security" – a phrase often used by Beijing when alleging espionage.

Their detentions are thought to be in retaliation for Canada's arrest on a US request of Huawei vice president Meng Wanzhou, who is facing fraud charges linked to violations of Iran sanctions.

The letter, written in English and Chinese, said both Kovrig and Spavor worked to improve understanding of China and to promote better relations with the world.

"Kovrig and Spavor's detentions send a message that this kind of constructive work is unwelcome and even risky in China," read the page-long letter, which had 143 signatories from 19 countries.

The letter comes amid heightened diplomatic tensions between Ottawa and Beijing since Meng's arrest.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomed the letter.

"We would always encourage friends, allies to point out that Canada stands up for the rule of law and all countries should stand up for the rule of law," Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa.

The letter was signed by six former Canadian ambassadors to China: Fred Bild, Joseph Caron, Earl Drake, David Mulroney, Guy Saint-Jacques and Robert Wright as well as former US ambassadors Gary Locke and Winston Lord, and Hong Kong's last British governor Chris Patten.

Former ambassadors to China from Germany, Mexico, Britain and Sweden also lent their names, along with many of the world's leading China academics.

The letter is meant to send a message that China's current action will alienate much of the world, said Jan Weidenfeld, head of European affairs and business strategy at the Mercator Institute for China Studies, one of the letter's signatories.

"We're particularly concerned now at the sort of arbitrariness of what's happening," said Weidenfeld.

"It's not clear whether China is playing by the rules at the end of the day ... who's to tell me that I, or a colleague won't be next?" (AFP)