Canada announced that China executed four Canadian citizens earlier this year on drug smuggling charges and condemned Beijing's use of the death penalty. Foreign Minister Melanie Joly stated that all four individuals held dual citizenship and emphasized that Ottawa would seek leniency for other Canadians facing similar charges.
Joly asserted, "There are four Canadians that have been executed and therefore we are strongly condemning what happened," noting that all four were convicted on drug-related offenses. Additionally, the Canadian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Robert, a Canadian man sentenced to death in 2019 for drug smuggling, had not been executed.
Relations between Canada and China have soured since 2018 when Meng Wanzhou, Chief Financial Officer of Huawei, was detained in Vancouver at the request of the United States. In response, China arrested two Canadians shortly afterward. Both Meng and the Canadian detainees were released in 2021.
Earlier this month, Beijing announced restrictions on over $2.6 billion worth of Canadian agricultural and food products, retaliating against tariffs imposed by Ottawa on Chinese electric vehicles and steel and aluminum products last year.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that combating drug-related offenses is a shared responsibility among all nations and urged Canada to respect China's judicial sovereignty. Mao asserted that China treats individuals accused of crimes equally, regardless of nationality, and that their cases are handled fairly while safeguarding their rights.
In a statement, the Chinese embassy in Ottawa criticized Canada's remarks as irresponsible, emphasizing that China maintains a strict "zero tolerance" policy toward drug-related crimes but did not confirm any executions had occurred.