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China Lambasts PM Trudeau's 'Irresponsible' Remarks on Canadian's Death Sentence

Relations between Ottawa and Beijing have become even more strained since Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, a Canadian citizen, arrested in China in 2014, was sentenced to death over drug smuggling accusations.
Sputnik

Beijing published a travel advisory for Canada on Tuesday, warning that Chinese nationals have to "fully evaluate risks" while visiting the country.

The decision follows a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, criticising Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his recent statements on China.

"We urge Canada to respect the rule of law, respect China's judicial sovereignty, correct their mistakes, and stop making such irresponsible remarks", foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying stated at a press briefing.

READ MORE: Canada Warns Travellers About Risks of Arbitrary Detention in China

The statement comes after Trudeau said that Beijing "has chosen to begin to arbitrarily apply [the] death penalty", vowing to "engage [China] strongly" on the issue.

Analyst: China Faces Sustained Campaign to Malign It Over Xinjiang
Schellenberg, who is a Canadian national, was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2016 but filed an appeal. While reviewing the appeal, Liaoning province's high court argued that he had been part of an international drug smuggling operation and opted for capital punishment. According to his lawyer, the Canadian will launch another appeal against the ruling.

The sentence followed the case of Meng Wanzhou, a daughter of Huawei's founder, who had been arrested in Canada on 1 December on charges of using a subsidiary of the company Skycom in order to to evade sanctions on Iran between 2009 and 2014.

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