China's hostage diplomacy meets Canada's useful idiots
The China Letter: June 25, 2020
The case of Two Michaels
It may take nine more months for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou to learn if she’ll be extradited to the U.S. to face trial on fraud charges, but the discussion about it has recently increased. Earlier this week, Meng had both a former Canadian justice minister and former Supreme Court judge saying the country has the legal authority to give her freedom. A Canadian Senator then made the same case in Parliament.
In what may now be suspected as a coordinated effort, 19 former Canadian diplomats and senior government officials added their voices an penned an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau effectively asked the Prime Minister to release Meng as a payment for China’s ransom for the Two Michaels. For its part, China signalled they would entertain such an exchange. The letter was largely panned in Canada as counter-productive and embarrassing.
Finally today, Trudeau categorically denied that such a plan would be helpful.
The fact is now acknowledged by most that the Huawei case is tied to the continued detainment of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. The two men have spent more than 560 days in prison, yet were just recently charged with suspected espionage.
Trudeau is also attacking the apparent political motivations behind jailing the Two Michaels. Kovrig’s wife is now speaking out about how she thinks the Canadian government should be doing more to bring them home. She’s been sharing some of the heartbreaking letters written after six months in solitary confinement.
Rule looms in Hong Kong
China is gathering supporters in Hong Kong for the new national security law, with 120 representatives from the semi-autonomous city expressing enthusiasm for authorities having sweeping powers to suppress subversion, sedition, secession and collusion with foreign forces. The blueprint for the legislation has been released to the public:
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A theory on China vs. India
With their agreement to disengage forces in a disputed area of the Himalayas comes questions about how the world’s largest militaries entered this skirmish. China is now admitting casualties, but says they won’t give a number to avoid escalation. India claims 20 died on its side. U.S. intelligence believes that Beijing ordered the attack.
The state of an outbreak
Claiming that a second wave of infections is now under control due to more aggressive testing, the scene in Beijing in the time of COVID-19 also includes targeting the tens of thousands of food delivery personnel. The new normal in China also includes professional sports under circumstances that are spreading to more of the world:
The last words, for now
The Walt Disney Company noticed the growing market in English-immersion classes for children in China, and added its own Mickey Mouse spin to the curriculum with a chain of schools, launched in 2008. While it claimed to have a unique storytelling approach, the 26 locations of Disney English lost out to the growth of online learning:
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