WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and Canada began high-stakes talks on Friday amid an escalating dispute with China that threatens to further complicate ties between the North American neighbors.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis were meeting their Canadian counterparts for discussions expected to be dominated by Canada’s arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of telecommunications giant Huawei.
Meng was picked up Dec. 1 at the request of the United States, which wants her extradited to face charges that she and her company misled banks about the company’s business dealings in Iran. China has detained two Canadians in apparent retaliation.
The case has set off a three-way diplomatic furor in which Canada is stuck in the middle. The dispute threatens to complicate ties between the U.S. and Canada, which were already testy.
The four senior officials made no comments as the meeting began at the State Department but were to address reporters at a joint news conference.
A Canadian judge released Meng on bail Tuesday, causing some consternation in Washington. President Donald Trump said he might intervene in the case if it would help clinch a trade agreement with China.
Trump has previously attacked Canada and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over trade, and his suggestion that he could intervene contradicted Canadian officials who said the arrest was not political.
Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland took a swipe at Trump, saying it was “quite obvious” any foreign country requesting extradition should ensure “the process is not politicized.”
Roland Paris, a former foreign policy adviser to Trudeau, said Freeland and Canadian Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan “should be blunt” with Pompeo and Mattis in Friday’s meeting. “The US should have Canada’s back. We are responding to (asterisk)your(asterisk) extradition request,” Paris said in a tweet.
Canada’s tourism minister on Friday postponed a planned trip to China because of the tensions. Also Friday, Canada’s Global Affairs department said it had just received consular access to Michael Kovrig, one of the Canadians detained in China. They continue to press for access to Michael Spavor. Both were arrested Monday.
In years past, the U.S. would have been counted on to defend Canada when came it under attack and other countries would know the U.S. had Canada’s back. That is no longer a certainty.
In August, Saudi Arabia expelled Canada’s ambassador to the kingdom and withdrew its own ambassador after Canada’s foreign ministry tweeted support for an arrested Saudi activist. The Saudis also sold Canadian investments and ordered their citizens studying in Canada to leave.
No country, including the U.S., spoke out publicly in support of Canada, and the Trump administration has been steadfast in its support for Saudi Arabia. American support for the kingdom has come under intense scrutiny after U.S. intelligence officials concluded Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman must have at least known of the plot to kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Now the stakes are much higher. Canada is one of the few countries in the world unabashedly speaking out in defense of human rights and the international rule of law. And Chinese trade with Canada is increasingly key as Canada looks to boost its exports in Asia as its trade with the U.S. is threatened by Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods.
