US supports 2 Canadians marking 1,000th day in Chinese cells

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that “people are not bargaining chips” and adds that the U.S. stands with Canada in calling for the release of two Canadians detained in China for 1,000 days. In a statement issued Sunday, Blinken says that “the practice of arbitrarily detaining individuals to exercise leverage over foreign governments is completely unacceptable.” Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were detained in China in 2018 in what critics label “hostage politics” after Canada arrested the chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei on a U.S. extradition request. The arrest of Meng Wanzhou infuriated Beijing, which sees her case as a political move designed to prevent China’s rise.