China may have breached consular agreement by withholding access to detained Canadians since January

COVID-19 is not an 'adequate reason' to limit consular access to detained Canadians in China and 'violate' the Canada-China consular agreement, says former diplomat Charles Burton.

Michael Spavor, left, and Michael Kovrig, right, have been detained by Chinese authorities since December 2018. Consular officials haven't been able to access the two Canadians since Jan. 13 and Jan. 14, respectively. Photographs courtesy of Twitter and the International Crisis Group

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BY NEIL MOSS

April 15, 2020

With no consular access for two detained Canadians since January in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, China may have breached a bilateral consular agreement with little power for the Canadian government to safeguard communication links with Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. Global Affairs tol...

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