Middle Powers Beware: A Growing Crisis Between Canada and China Has Big Global Implications

On December 1st, a business executive named Meng Wangzhou was arrested while transferring through the Vancouver airport. Her arrest came at the request of US authorities, who are seeking her extradition to the United States.  Ms Meng is the CFO of the Chinese telecom giant Huawei and her case has drawn the attention of the highest reaches of the Chinese government.

About ten days after Meng's arrest, a former Canadian diplomat and analyst with the International Crisis Group named Michael Kovrig was mysteriously detained in China. Soon after, another Canadian, businessman Micheal Spavor, was arrested under similarly opaque circumstances.  These arrests are clearly intended as retribution for Canada's acquiescence to America's request for the extradition of Ms. Meng.

These incidents have plunged Canada into a diplomatic crisis. But this is a crisis that has implications far beyond Canada, according to my guest today Stephanie Carvin. Stephanie Carvin is an assistant professor of Internati…