Canada has recommended that citizens exercise “high degree of caution” during trips to China, after a Canadian man was sentenced to death over drugs smuggling charges on Monday.
A Chinese court on Monday handed Robert Schellenberg the death penalty for allegedly smuggling 222kg of methamphetamine.
The incident has aggravated already sour diplomatic relations between the two countries, following the arrest of a Chinese executive in Canada and China’s subsequent detention of two Canadians.
Late on Monday, Canada’s Foreign Ministry warned its citizens that “there are specific safety and security concerns that could put you at risk. You should reconsider your need to travel to the country, territory or region”.
It added that, if a trip to China was deemed necessary, then travellers “should exercise a high degree of caution at all times, monitor local media and follow the instructions of local authorities”.
On Tuesday, China’s Foreign Ministry said it was strongly dissatisfied after Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau accused China of “arbitrarily” sentencing Schellenberg to death.
Speaking at a daily news briefing in Beijing, ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying urged Canada to respect China’s sovereignty and stop making such remarks.
An expert on the Chinese legal system told the National Post that it appears China had raised Schellenberg’s case to pressure Canada to release previously detained Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou.
“China has moved from merely detaining Canadians as hostages to actually threatening — subtly, to be sure — to kill a Canadian who would otherwise not have been executed if it does not get what it wants,” Donald Clarke told reporters.
In December, Chinese state media raised Schellenberg’a case, who at that point was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
He was originally detained in 2014 and his trial begun two years later. He was sentenced in 2018, according to the Globe and Mail.