OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he expects Canadian diplomats will be granted access “shortly” to the second Canadian detained in China.
Trudeau tells The Canadian Press that he expects the Chinese will soon grant consular access to the entrepreneur Michael Spavor, who was arrested in China earlier this week.
READ MORE: Michael Spavor, who facilitated North Korea travel, ID’d as second Canadian to go missing in China
Trudeau says Canada is pushing for the face-to-face meeting with Spavor after Ambassador John McCallum’s first got to see fellow Canadian detainee Michael Kovrig earlier Friday.
The two men were taken into custody days after Canadian officials arrested leading Chinese executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver at the behest of American police, so she can be extradited to the U.S. to face fraud charges.
WATCH: Goodale says Global Affairs moved quickly to establish meeting with Michael Kovrig
Trudeau says a disruptive U.S.-China trade war — the backdrop of the current Canada-China tensions — will have unintended consequences for the Canada’s economy and the world’s.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has also called on the Chinese to release the two Canadians from their “unlawful detention.”