He Liangmao believes that this trial of two Michaels by the Chinese Communist Party is a completely black box operation.
The cases of two Canadian hostages held by the Chinese Communist Party – Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig – were heard in closed sessions in Dandong and Beijing respectively. Not only were diplomats from other countries unable to attend the hearings, but even representatives of the Canadian government could not enter the courtroom to hear the hearings. He Liangmao further analyzes the incident.
The trial was conducted in a black box and the Chinese government violated international conventions and bilateral agreements.
He Liangmao said: “This trial of two Macs by the Chinese Communist Party is a black-box operation. Last Friday’s trial of Spavor at the Dandong Intermediate People’s Court last Friday took two hours; this Monday’s trial of Kang Mingkai in Beijing, no one knows how long the trial lasted, nor do they know the facts of the case or the clear charges. But the Chinese (Communist) government then said that the two cases had been tried and that a verdict would be announced later.”
“This type of trial, which almost amounts to a secret trial, is something the international community finds absolutely unacceptable. Not even Canada‘s own consuls were allowed to hear the trials, and journalists were not allowed to sit in on them, in violation of the UN Vienna Consular Convention and the Sino-Canadian Consular Agreement. Because the two Macs are clear Canadian citizens, they have been held for over 830 days. On Friday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the detention of Mike and Mike’s court appearance is not just about two Canadians, but also about respect for the rule of law and relations with many Western countries. He warned the Chinese Communist government that arbitrary detention and coercive diplomacy are unacceptable.”
Following Kang Mingkai’s trial on Monday, Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying that all Canadians are concerned about the two Macs and their families, and that the lack of transparency in the trials of both of them is very concerning. The statement also said that both trials violated the Vienna Consular Convention and the Sino-Canadian Consular Agreement, and that Canada would continue to support the two Macs and seek to provide them with consular services.
Solidarity with the two Macs: 30 countries unite against the Communist Party for the first Time since June 4
This time the trial of the two Macs started, the international community is more concerned. He Liangmao said that last Friday, more than ten diplomats from different countries rushed to the door of the Dandong court to pay attention to the opening of the Spavor trial; this Monday for the trial of Kang Mingkai, 30 diplomats from 26 countries went to the scene to show their solidarity. The chargé d’affaires of the Canadian government (the Canadian ambassador to China was recalled to his country in protest of the case) joined other Western consuls in solidarity outside the courthouse.
“This is clearly a joint action to put pressure on the Chinese side together. As Errol Mendes, a professor of international law at the University of Ottawa and an expert in law, said, if the international community is going to deal with the Chinese (Communist) state, it has to join forces. Now that they have united on the Xinjiang issue, they all need to unite on these targeted actions against the Chinese (communist) state in response to their hostage diplomacy as well, against the Chinese (communist) state. Obviously, this time both in terms of magnitude and the number of countries involved is unprecedented, and also all see the international community is further pressure on the Chinese Communist Party.”
He Liangmao noted that just hours after the Canadian Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a statement on the two Mac cases, Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau announced that he had joined 30 national allies, including the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, to impose sanctions on four Communist Party officials and one economic entity (the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps) involved in systematic human rights abuses against the Uighur people in Xinjiang. This action is seen as the largest sanction against the Chinese Communist Party since the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre by European and American countries. Garneau also warned the international community about this matter: Anyone doing business with China runs the risk of being arbitrarily and capriciously detained. This one incident has turned into an international sanctions action by Canada and 29 other countries around the world. This time it is a joint sanction in response to the crimes against the Xinjiang Uighur genocide.
Rejecting the Chinese Communist Party’s control of the discourse on global affairs
He Liangmao said, “In the case of Meng Wanzhou, it was acting under the International Extradition Agreement, but the Chinese Communist Party arrested two Canadians in China roughly nine days after Meng was detained at Vancouver International Airport in 2018. No charges were stated at all at the time, and the Canadian consulate was notified very late. The two men were held for over 830 days in rather harsh conditions of captivity. It is clear then who is observing the rule of law and who is completely disregarding the usual international practice of consular diplomacy.” “So for Canadian Foreign Minister Garneau to say that foreigners going to China are now at risk of arbitrary arrest at any time is to use the two Macs as a painful example.”
He further noted, “The reason why the Chinese Communist Party has forced 30 countries to make common cause and join together to impose sanctions on it today is because the Chinese Communist Party, after the Epidemic, has intensified its efforts to control the discourse of global affairs and to further strengthen the ambition of the Chinese Communist Party to participate in global governance. The so-called CCP global governance is actually a euphemism for the CCP’s global deficit, which is to bring other countries into the CCP’s sphere of influence and to listen to the CCP’s baton. So if the West doesn’t get tough on the Xinjiang case, if it doesn’t get tough on the Canadian hostage case (the two Macs case), if it doesn’t express a strong gesture of no compromise with the CCP on the Hong Kong case, the CCP will encroach on the West’s homeland.”
The end is predictable: conviction, jail, hostage exchange bargaining
As for the two Mac cases will not wait until Meng Wanzhou case is judged to give a result? He Liangmao thinks not necessarily. The case of Meng Wanzhou’s extradition will be decided in May, and Meng can still appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. So He Liangmao believes that most of the two Macs will be found guilty and then go to jail for a number of years. The Canadian side of the Meng Wanzhou matter to a stage, and then as a hostage exchange. “So the two Macs will continue to be held in China, and this is to be expected. This situation is the same as when Ching Cheong was in Hong Kong. He exposed Jiang Zemin’s betrayal of Chinese territory to Russia. He was released by diplomatic pressure, and then in exchange for appropriate time, on medical parole. This was also the case in the previous Ming Pao XI Yang incident. The Chinese Communist Party is already familiar with the operation of hostage diplomacy to the point that they are comfortable using it, because they simply started by using these practices that violate international law, not at all a follower of international universal values, completely ignoring the international order, completely ignoring some routines and some normative practices between established countries.”
War Wolf Diplomacy Leads to Escalation of International Sanctions or the Emergence of Meng Wanzhou II
Last week’s U.S.-China Alaska talks gave the West another “glimpse” of the Chinese Communist Party’s wolf diplomacy. He Liangmao pointed out that the Chinese Communist Party is a party of big talk and violence, and it uses news blackout to cover up the evil of public power, more so than the Nazis. Because the historical record and track record of this party of big talk and violence are so poor, there is no way to gain international credibility.
He Liangmao believes that the Western society’s sanctions against the CCP are not a one-time event, but will come step by step. “You can see that the sanctions against China are now targeting the Xinjiang issue, so will they be targeted at Hong Kong later, and will they be targeted at some conflicts between China and the United States later? For example, what about sanctions against some high-tech companies, or state-run enterprises? Or furthermore, after the Trump administration implemented sanctions against Chinese Communist Party officials last year, the next wave of sanctions may be against financial institutions or officials who violate the sanctions. Because the first wave of sanctions, as some banking officials said, can be ignored, then there will be Meng Wanzhou’s second and Meng Wanzhou’s third incident. Because you ignore the sanction order, then the next sanction will be a little more complicated. Not some new sanctions, but those who violate the sanctions on top of some old sanctions, become sanctioned again. Including those financial institutions, then those financial institutions can be mainland China’s financial institutions, but also international financial institutions.”
He Liangmao estimated: “The UK should have some sanctions against HKSAR officials. Now the EU has sanctioned China’s Xinjiang officials and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps for the first time in 30 years, so it is estimated that the EU’s sanctions against Hong Kong should also be launched, and there will be successive actions. In other words, 2021 will be the year when the Chinese Communist Party is sanctioned.”
The Chinese Communist Party reorganized the international joint front to expand the NATO alliance
He Liangmao analysis: “Now is the time to reorganize the international joint front, the joint front against the Chinese (Communist) countries. The first is the diplomatic joint front; the second is the regional defense joint front; the third is the cross-regional military joint front. So it is estimated that this year there will be the possibility of strengthening the Asian mini-NATO, that is, the current Quadripartite Security Dialogue (QUAD), which consists of India, Japan, Australia and the United States, may be expanded.
Some U.S. lawmakers have already proposed to include Taiwan in NATO Plus, which is a new partner of NATO, and do not rule out the inclusion of Japan, South Korea, and even Australia in NATO Plus. So will the Quadripartite Security Dialogue be expanded to include South Korea as well? Or even include Vietnam into it?”
Therefore, He Liangmao believes, “This year, in addition to being the year of sanctions against the Chinese Communist Party, may also be the year of the most intensive and tense military buildup. Because in the middle of this year, in addition to the U.S. inherent aircraft carrier battle group, it is estimated that German, British and Dutch warships will also appear in the waters of East Asia, including the South China Sea.”
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