China denounced the move, and the affair is threatening to increase global tensions at a time when Washington and Beijing are already locked in a trade war. In a separate statement, the White House said that Trump and Trudeau "discussed the unlawful detention of two Canadian citizens in China." Beijing insists the charges against Meng be dropped, but Canada says it cannot interfere with the judicial process. The China Daily newspaper on Monday published a commentary saying Canada "could lose the trust and cooperation of most developing countries" over the matter. Earlier in the day, a group of legislators from Canada on a visit to China pressed authorities to release Spavor and Kovrig but had little success, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp reported.

Source: bd News24 January 08, 2019 00:33 UTC