'Good riddance,' says China as Germany calls for release of two detained Canadians

During his last scheduled UNSC meeting, Germany’s UN Ambassador Christoph Heusgen urged China to free two detained Canadians for Christmas, prompting Beijing’s deputy UN envoy to respond “Good riddance”. This month, Germany finishes a two-year term on the 15-member council and Heusgen plans to retire after more than 40 years as a diplomat. During his last council session, the German envoy appealed to his Chinese colleagues to release Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who were detained by Beijing after Canada arrested Huawei CEO Meng Wanzhou. 

Heusgen said, “Let me end my tenure in the Security Council by appealing to my Chinese colleagues to ask Beijing for the release of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. Christmas is the right moment for such a gesture”. 

In response, China’s deputy UN ambassador, Geng Shuang, however, accused Huesgen of abusing the Security Council to launch “malicious” attacks on other members “in an attempt to poison the working atmosphere”. He also further hoped that in the German envoy’s absence, the year 2021 will be in “better position” to fulfil the responsibilities”. 

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Geng said, “I wish to say something out of the bottom of my heart: Good riddance, Ambassador Heusgen. I am hoping that the council in your absence in the year 2021 will be in a better position to fulfil the responsibilities...for maintaining international peace and security”. 

During the council meeting, Heusgen said that his fellow Canadian diplomat, Kovrig, has been held hostage together with Spavor for two years now. He said that while the Chinese executive, Meng, spends her time in a seven-bedroom mansion in Vancouver, Kovrig has been confined to an isolated cell in Beijing. The German envoy added that the Security Council will “lose its legitimacy if it ceases to be concerned about the fate of individuals, about their protection and security, their human rights and their freedoms, their well-being and their aspirations”. 

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Huesgen suggests Russia read about Navalny 

Further, Heusgen, whose official agenda topic was Iran, also used the Council meeting to advice Russia’s deputy UN ambassador, Dmitry Polyanskiy, to read certain articles about Kremlin critic Alexie Navalny, who said that he had tricked an FSB agent into disclosing details of a botched plot to kill him. While Russia’s FSB has already dismissed the recording as “fake,” Polyanskiy replied saying that it seems he developed a certain dependency on the council. 

The Russian diplomat said, “There’s never a meeting without criticism of Russia even if that’s not suitable for the subject matter. I hope that after Jan. 1 that Christoph’s symptoms will improve”. 

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