Chinese Foreign Ministry comments on Canada, Iran

China lashed out at Canada on Thursday for joining the U.S. and 56 other countries in endorsing a declaration denouncing state-sponsored arbitrary detention of foreign citizens for political purposes.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing that China has complained to Ottawa over the declaration, calling it a "despicable and hypocritical act."

The dispute is rooted in Canada's campaign to free its nationals Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who were arrested more than two years ago by China in apparent retaliation for Canada's arrest days earlier of a top Chinese tech executive, Meng Wanzhou, who is wanted in the U.S. on fraud charges.

"Canada's so-called declaration looks more like a confession in which the Canadian side admits its mistake in the Meng Wanzhou case," Hua said

China says it has charged Kovrig and Spavor with endangering national security, but little is known about the accusations.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said that Director General Rafael Grossi will visit Tehran on Saturday for discussions with senior Iranian officials, whom it did not identify.

Grossi's trip comes amid diplomatic efforts to keep alive the 2015 deal between Iran and world powers, which has been fraying since the U.S. under then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018.

Asked about the stalled Iranian nuclear deal, Hua said China believes the U.S.' return to the agreement is the "only correct way to break the deadlock."

At the briefing, Hua supported the IAEA's efforts in handling the issue with Iran through dialogue and called on all parties concerned to "leave room for diplomatic efforts."