Huawei Vice Chairman Arrest Retaliation? China Sentences Canadian to Death for 'Drug Trafficking'

Meng Wanzhou, Vice Chairwoman of Huawei, China [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] A Chinese court has upheld the death sentence of a Canadian charged with drug trafficking.

Earlier, after the Canadian government arrested the vice chairman of the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei, a series of death sentences for Canadians in China followed, prompting the Canadian side to protest, calling it "retaliatory measures."

On the 10th, Bloomberg reported that the Chinese court dismissed the appeal of Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, who was sentenced to death on drug trafficking charges.

Schellenberg was previously sentenced to 15 years in prison in the first trial held in 2018.

However, after a retrial, the Chinese court suddenly sentenced him to death.

The Canadian side claimed that the sudden increase in Schellenberg's sentence was due to China's retaliatory judgment.

In December 2018, Canadian authorities arrested Meng Wanzhou, vice chairman of Huawei, under a warrant from U.S. authorities, and shortly thereafter, death sentences targeting Canadians in China followed.

Schellenberg is one of the cases where the sentence was changed from imprisonment to death.

Currently, Meng is engaged in legal battles with the Canadian government over whether to accept the U.S. extradition request.

On the same day, the Canadian ambassador to China strongly protested Schellenberg's sentence as an "inhumane punishment." He pointed out, "This judgment came while the extradition trial of Huawei's vice chairman is ongoing. This is by no means a coincidence."

Earlier, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also condemned the series of death sentences against Canadians in China as "absolutely unacceptable acts" and "highly arbitrary judgments."

According to Bloomberg, another Canadian, Michael Spavor, is also awaiting a final sentence. He was charged by authorities with passing Chinese state secrets to another country.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.