AFP, MONTREALCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday called on the US not to sign a trade deal with China unless Beijing agrees to release two Canadians detained since last year. Former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor have been held in China’s opaque legal system since they were apprehended on Dec. 10 last year, accused of espionage. Obtaining the two men’s release has been a top priority of Trudeau’s government. She is living in her Vancouver mansion while waiting for an extradition hearing scheduled to begin on Jan. 20. “Whatever pressure they put on us, arresting two Canadians ... won’t change the Court of British Columbia’s decision on extradition,” Trudeau said, adding that the Canadian judicial system is “independent.”

Source: Taipei Times December 20, 2019 15:56 UTC