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The diplomatic row between China and Canada has escalated with the handing down of a death sentence to a Canadian citizen Robert Lloyd Schellenber who had been convicted of drug smuggling but lost his appeal. Schellenberg was initially sentenced to 15 years in jail, but in 2019 an appeal court said this was too lenient, leading to a retrial and a death sentence.

The row dates back to the arrest in Canada in 2018 of the senior Huawei executive Meng Wangzhou at the request of the United States. Meng Wanzhou was detained just after Robert Shellenberg was first tried. Shortly after, two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, were arrested in China on espionage charges.

Ms Meng, the daughter of the founder of the Chinese telecoms company, is currently detained in Canada on a US warrant. Beijing denies the cases are linked.

Guy Saint-Jacques, a former Canadian ambassador to China, explains why he believes the cases are linked, and how the extradition proceedings for Ms Meng could take several years to resolve.

"It's part of the stratey of China to put on as much pressure as possible so that we cave in and return Ms Meng."

Photo: Robert Lloyd Schellenberg during his retrial on drug trafficking charges in China, January 2019 Credit: AFP

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