China dismisses Canadian protests over cases tied to Huawei

BEIJING (AP) — China has dismissed Canada’s protests of harsh sentences Chinese courts handed to Canadians whose cases are seen as linked to the arrest of a top executive at Chinese tech giant Huawei. The Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in Canada accused Ottawa of making unwarranted, groundless accusations that “grossly interfered in China’s judicial sovereignty.” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier had called the sentencing of Michael Spavor “absolutely unacceptable and unjust” and that his trial did not follow the standards of international law. Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig were detained soon after Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou was arrested in 2018 at the request of the U.S., where she faces charges related to possible sanctions violations.