China warns citizens of Canada travel risk after ‘arbitrary detention’

Beijing (AFP) – China on Tuesday warned its citizens of the risks of travelling to Canada after the “arbitrary detention” of a Chinese citizen, in what appears to be a tit-for-tat move.

“Recently in Canada, a Chinese citizen was arbitrarily detained on the basis of a request of a third-party country,” the foreign ministry said in a post on an official social media account, asking citizens to “travel cautiously”.

The statement, which came hours after a similar advisory from Ottawa, appeared to reference the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on the request of the United States, which has accused her of violating Iran sanctions.