Canada accused of 'white supremacy'

The Chinese ambassador to Canada has accused the country of "arrogantly adopting double standards" due to "Western egotism and white supremacy" in relation to a diplomatic row between Beijing and Ottawa.

China-based entrepreneur Michael Spavor and former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig were detained accused of "endangering national security," days after Canadian officials arrested Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of telecom giant Huawei, at the request of US authorities.

In an op-ed for Ottawa-based newspaper The Hill Times, ambassador Lu Shaye claimed that Canada and other Western countries calling for Kovrig and Spavor's release were disregarding China's judicial sovereignty.

"However, on the prior groundless detention of Chinese citizen Meng Wanzhou by Canada at the behest of the United States, these same people made utterly different comments," Lu wrote.

"It seems that, to some people, only Canadian citizens shall be treated in a humanitarian manner and their freedom deemed valuable, while Chinese people do not deserve that," he wrote.

The ambassador went on to accuse countries like Canada, the US and Britain of being self-appointed representatives of the international community that disregard non-Western countries.

"Something is considered as 'safeguarding national security' when it is done by Western countries. But it is termed 'conducting espionage' when done by China. What's the logic?" asked Lu.

"In such a context, the rule of law is nothing but a tool for their political ends and a fig leaf for their practising hegemony in the international arena," he concluded.