Image copyright Reuters Image caption Justin Trudeau (R) appointed John McCallum ambassador to China in 2017

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has fired Canada's ambassador to China, John McCallum.

It follows controversial comments Mr McCallum made about an extradition case involving a senior executive from the Chinese telecoms giant Huawei.

Mr Trudeau said in a statement he had asked John McCallum to step down, but did not offer a reason.

The detention of Meng Wanzhou, at the request of the US, angered China and soured Canada's relations with Beijing.

Ms Meng, Huawei's chief financial officer, is accused by the US of evading sanctions on Iran. Both she and Huawei deny those allegations.

What did Justin Trudeau say?

In a statement, the Canadian prime minister said: "Last night I asked for and accepted John McCallum's resignation as Canada's ambassador to China."

The veteran diplomat, Mr Trudeau added, had served Canadians honourably and with distinction with many positions in cabinet.

He also thanked the diplomat and his family for their service.

What about the ambassador's remarks?

Mr McCallum caused controversy on Tuesday when he publicly argued that the US extradition request for Ms Meng was seriously flawed.

The next day he issued a statement saying that he "misspoke" and regretted that his comments had created "confusion".

But on Friday he was quoted as saying it would be "great for Canada" if the US dropped the request.

Mr McCallum was appointed Canada's ambassador to China in 2017, stepping down as the immigration minister.

Canadian media say he was eager to take over the posting because of his strong personal connection to China.

Mr McCallum's wife is ethnically Chinese, and he had a large Chinese-Canadian population in his former constituency in Ontario.

Mr McCallum also served as Canada's defence minister in 2002-03.

What's the latest on Meng Wanzhou's case?

She was arrested on 1 December in Canada's western city of Vancouver at the request of the US.

She was later granted a C$10m (£5.7m; $7.6m) bail by a local court. But she is under surveillance 24 hours a day and must wear an electronic ankle tag.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Meng Wanzhou denies all the allegations against her

Earlier this month, US officials confirmed they planned to pursue the extradition of Ms Wanzhou.

Washington has 60 days to file a formal demand for extradition, a deadline that will be reached 30 January.

China's foreign ministry has urged US officials to withdraw the arrest order and refrain from moving ahead with the extradition request.

Ms Meng's case has led to rising diplomatic tensions between Canada and China.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Canadian nationals Michael Spavor (left) and Michael Kovrig have been put under "compulsory measures"

Earlier this month, a Canadian man was sentenced to death in China after a court said a jail term of 15 years was too lenient.

Two other Canadians - businessman Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrg - were arrested following the detention of Ms Meng.

Some China analysts believe that the arrests were a tit-for-tat response to her detention, a claim Chinese officials have denied.</s>Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Saturday that he both requested and accepted John McCallum’s resignation after the envoy made multiple remarks about the extradition of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou.

Trudeau said he asked for McCallum’s resignation Friday night after the ambassador to China told The Toronto Star earlier that day that it would be “great” if the U.S. dropped its extradition request for Wanzhou.

Wanzhou was detained at the request of the U.S. last month in Canada on the suspicion that she violated sanctions against Iran. She is also suspected of misleading bank investors with regard to a second company that was illicitly selling to Iran.

VENEZUELA BACKTRACKS ON EXPULSION OF US DIPLOMATS

McCallum’s remark to The Star came just one day after he issued a statement regretting a comment he made earlier in the week, in which he said that Wanzhou had a strong case against extradition.

He told Chinese media in the Toronto area that the extradition of Wanzhou to the United States "would not be a happy outcome." He also suggested the case was politically motivated.

But on Thursday he walked back the remarks and said he "misspoke."

"Last night I asked for and accepted John McCallum's resignation as Canada's ambassador to China," Trudeau said in a statement Saturday. He also thanked McCallum for his 20 years of public service.

Jim Nickel, the deputy head of mission at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, is set to step in and represent his government in China.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In retaliation of her arrest, China has detained two Canadians and sentenced one man, previously given a 15-year prison term on drug charges, to death.

Wanzhou is out on bail in her multimillion-dollar mansion in Vancouver, monitored by an ankle bracelet and free to leave her home between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m.

Fox News' Hollie McKay and The Associated Press contribute to this report.</s>OTTAWA: In an unprecedented move, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday (Jan 26) said he had fired his ambassador to China, who prompted a political furor with comments about Huawei's high-profile extradition case.

John McCallum had embarrassed Trudeau's Liberal government by saying Huawei Technologies Co Ltd Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou could make a strong argument against being sent to the United States.

Opposition legislators and former ambassadors accused McCallum of unacceptable political interference in an affair which has badly damaged relations between Canada and China.

Meng, the daughter of Huawei's founder, was arrested in Vancouver last month over alleged violations of U.S. sanctions on Iran.

China subsequently detained two Canadian citizens on national security grounds. A Chinese court later retried a Canadian man who had been jailed for drugs smuggling and sentenced him to death.

"Last night I asked for and accepted John McCallum's resignation as Canada's ambassador to China," Trudeau said in a statement that did not explain his reasons.

Veteran diplomats and experts told Reuters it was the first time a Canadian ambassador had ever been officially fired.

Trudeau said as recently as Thursday that he had no plans to replace McCallum, who apologized the same day for his remarks earlier in the week.

But the Toronto Star newspaper on Friday quoted the envoy as saying that if Washington dropped the extradition request "that would be great for Canada". McCallum, 68, a long-time former Liberal cabinet minister, is not a trained diplomat.

Brock University professor Charles Burton, a former Canadian diplomat who had served two postings in China, said McCallum's comments on Meng possibly avoiding extradition had signaled to Beijing that its hard line tactics were working.

"He really made it untenable for the prime minister to sustain him (in his post) for any length of time and he had to go," Burton said by telephone, suggesting Trudeau should quickly appoint a special envoy to handle the dispute.

Spokespeople for Trudeau and Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland declined to comment when asked about the dismissal.

Andrew Scheer, leader of the official opposition Conservative Party, said in a tweet that Trudeau "should have fired his ambassador the moment he interfered in this case" and accused the prime minister of weakness and indecision.

Polls show the Liberals have a slender lead over the Conservatives ahead of a federal election this October.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Sandra Maler</s>OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday said he had fired his ambassador to China, who prompted a political furor with comments about a high-profile extradition case.

“Last night I asked for and accepted John McCallum’s resignation as Canada’s ambassador to China,” Trudeau said in a statement that did not explain his reasons.

Trudeau had told reporters as recently as Thursday that he had no plans to replace McCallum for saying Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HWT.UL] Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou could make a strong argument against extradition to the United States.

Opposition politicians accused McCallum of political interference in a case which has badly damaged relations between Canada and China.

Meng was arrested in Vancouver last month over alleged violations of U.S. sanctions on Iran. China subsequently detained two Canadian citizens on national security grounds.

Asked why McCallum had been removed, Trudeau spokeswoman Eleanore Catenaro declined to comment.</s>The US wants her extradited to face charges that she committed fraud by misleading banks about Huawei's business dealings in Iran "Last night I asked for and accepted John McCallum's resignation as Canada's Ambassador to China," Trudeau said in a statement. Trudeau said Jim Nickel, the deputy head of mission at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, would represent his government in China. He thanked McCallum, a former minister in Trudeau's Cabinet, for his 20 years of public service. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked his Ambassador to China to resign over comments he made about Meng Wanzhou's case. China detained two Canadians shortly after Meng's arrest in an apparent attempt to pressure Canada to release her. A Chinese court also sentenced a Canadian to death in a sudden retrial of a drug case, overturning a 15-year prison term handed down earlier.

McCallum told Chinese media in the Toronto area earlier in the week that the extradition of Meng to the United States "would not be a happy outcome". He suggested the case was politically motivated and said the US could make a trade deal with China in which it would no longer seek her extradition, and two Canadian detained in China could then be released. But on Thursday McCallum attempted to qualify the remarks and said he "misspoke". Trudeau had earlier dismissed calls to fire McCallum, but he clearly had enough after the envoy spoke off script again. Trudeau and Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland have stressed that Canada's government can't interfere politically in the case. The arrest of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou in Canada has provoked fierce retaliation by China.

The leader of the opposition Conservative Party, Andrew Scheer, said McCallum should have been fired days ago because his remarks raised concerns about the politicisation of the Meng case. Scheer said McCallum caused damage to Canada's reputation by delivering different messages through different media on different days. McCallum's remarks surprised many and fuelled speculation that Canada might be trying to send a signal to China to reduce tensions. Huawei is one of China's most successful international enterprises. A year ago, McCallum also made controversial comments about how Canada had more in common with China than the United States under Trump. McCallum has strong personal ties to China, and he pointed out to Chinese-language media this week that his wife is of Chinese ethnicity and his three sons have Chinese spouses.

Guy Saint-Jacques, a former Canadian ambassador to China, said he felt bad for McCallum but said it was the right thing to do. "What is worse is this is happening in the middle of the crisis when we need all-hands on deck," Saint-Jacques said. He said the Chinese will now know that McCallum was not speaking for the Canadian government. Roland Paris, a former foreign policy adviser to Trudeau, said "Mr McCallum's remarks were continuing to cause confusion about Canada's position. On a matter of this importance, the Canadian government has to speak with a single, clear voice." Robert Bothwell, a professor at the University of Toronto, said it is not an ambassador's job to speak out of turn.

"Of course, McCallum can obviously take refuge in arguing that what he said was largely true, but he can't escape the fact that it wasn't his job to say it. It does underline the hazards of sending a politician to do a diplomat's job," Bothwell said. Saint-Jacques said he spoke to China's consul general in Montreal on Thursday who reported that China is furious at Canada for arresting Meng on behalf of the US, which is involved in a trade talks with China. Saint-Jacques said the consul general told him he thinks a Canadian delegation should visit Beijing for talks. Saint-Jacques believes Canada should appoint a special envoy to try to resolve the crisis. Trudeau and Freeland have stressed that Canada has an extradition treaty with the US that it must respect.</s>Prime Minister Justin Trudeau fired Canada's ambassador to China after the envoy said it would be "great" if the U.S. dropped its extradition request for a Chinese tech executive arrested in Canada.

Trudeau said Saturday that he had asked for and accepted John McCallum's resignation Friday night.

McCallum made the remark to the Toronto Star on Friday. That came a day after he issued a statement saying he misspoke about the case earlier in the week and regretted saying Meng Wanzhou has a strong case against extradition.

The arrest of the daughter of the founder of Huawei Technologies Ltd. at Vancouver's airport Dec. 1 severely damaged relations between China and Canada.

The U.S. wants her extradited to face charges that she committed fraud by misleading banks about Huawei's business dealings in Iran

"Last night I asked for and accepted John McCallum's resignation as Canada's Ambassador to China," Trudeau said in a statement.

Trudeau said Jim Nickel, the deputy head of mission at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, would represent his government in China. He thanked McCallum, a former minister in Trudeau's Cabinet, for his 20 years of public service.

China detained two Canadians shortly after Meng's arrest in an apparent attempt to pressure Canada to release her. A Chinese court also sentenced a Canadian to death in a sudden retrial of a drug case, overturning a 15-year prison term handed down earlier.

McCallum told Chinese media in the Toronto area earlier in the week that the extradition of Meng to the United States "would not be a happy outcome." He also suggested the case was politically motivated.

But on Thursday he walked back the remarks and said he "misspoke."

Trudeau earlier this week dismissed calls to fire McCallum, but he clearly had enough after McCallum spoke off script again. Trudeau and Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland have stressed that Canada's government can't interfere politically in the case.

The leader of the opposition Conservative Party, Andrew Scheer, had said McCallum should be fired because his remarks raised concerns about the politicization of the Meng case.

"It should never have come to this. Justin Trudeau should have fired his ambassador the moment he interfered in this case. Instead, he did nothing and allowed more damage to be done. More weakness and more indecision from Trudeau on China," Scheer tweeted after the firing was announced.

McCallum's remarks surprised many and fueled speculation that Canada might be trying to send a signal to China to reduce tensions.

Guy Saint-Jacques, a former Canadian ambassador to China, said Friday that McCallum's remarks about how Canada would like to see the U.S. drop the case "are true but he should have kept his mouth shut."</s>TORONTO (AP) — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau fired Canada's ambassador to China after the envoy said it would be "great" if the U.S. dropped its extradition request for a Chinese tech executive arrested in Canada.

Trudeau said Saturday that he had asked for and accepted John McCallum's resignation Friday night.

McCallum made the remark to the Toronto Star on Friday. That came a day after he issued a statement saying he misspoke about the case earlier in the week and regretted saying Meng Wanzhou has a strong case against extradition.

The arrest of the daughter of the founder of Huawei Technologies Ltd. at Vancouver's airport Dec. 1 severely damaged relations between China and Canada.

The U.S. wants her extradited to face charges that she committed fraud by misleading banks about Huawei's business dealings in Iran

"Last night I asked for and accepted John McCallum's resignation as Canada's Ambassador to China," Trudeau said in a statement.

Trudeau said Jim Nickel, the deputy head of mission at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, would represent his government in China. He thanked McCallum, a former minister in Trudeau's Cabinet, for his 20 years of public service.

China detained two Canadians shortly after Meng's arrest in an apparent attempt to pressure Canada to release her. A Chinese court also sentenced a Canadian to death in a sudden retrial of a drug case, overturning a 15-year prison term handed down earlier.

McCallum told Chinese media in the Toronto area earlier in the week that the extradition of Meng to the United States "would not be a happy outcome."

He suggested the case was politically motivated and said the U.S. could make a trade deal with China in which it would no longer seek her extradition, and two Canadian detained in China could then be released.

But on Thursday McCallum walked back the remarks and said he "misspoke."

Trudeau had earlier dismissed calls to fire McCallum, but he clearly had enough after the envoy spoke off script again. Trudeau and Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland have stressed that Canada's government can't interfere politically in the case.

The leader of the opposition Conservative Party, Andrew Scheer, said McCallum should have been fired days ago because his remarks raised concerns about the politicization of the Meng case.

Scheer said McCallum caused damage to Canada's reputation by delivering different messages through different media on different days.

McCallum's remarks surprised many and fueled speculation that Canada might be trying to send a signal to China to reduce tensions.

A year ago, McCallum also made controversial comments about how Canada had more in common with China than the United States under Trump. McCallum has strong personal ties to China, and he pointed out to Chinese-language media this week that his wife is of Chinese ethnicity and his three sons have Chinese spouses.

Guy Saint-Jacques, a former Canadian ambassador to China, said he felt bad for McCallum but said it was the right thing to do.

"What is worse is this is happening in the middle of the crisis when we need all-hands on deck," Saint-Jacques said.

He said the Chinese will now know that McCallum was not speaking for the Canadian government.

Roland Paris, a former foreign policy adviser to Trudeau, said "Mr. McCallum's remarks were continuing to cause confusion about Canada's position. On a matter of this importance, the Canadian government has to speak with a single, clear voice."

Robert Bothwell, a professor at the University of Toronto, said it is not an ambassador's job to speak out of turn.

"Of course, McCallum can obviously take refuge in arguing that what he said was largely true, but he can't escape the fact that it wasn't his job to say it. It does underline the hazards of sending a politician to do a diplomat's job," Bothwell said.

Saint-Jacques said he spoke to China's consul general in Montreal on Thursday who reported that China is furious at Canada for arresting Meng on behalf of the U.S., which is involved in a trade talks with China.

Saint-Jacques said the consul general told him he thinks a Canadian delegation should visit Beijing for talks. Saint-Jacques believes Canada should appoint a special envoy to try to resolve the crisis.

Trudeau and Freeland have stressed that Canada has an extradition treaty with the U.S. that it must respect.

Meng is out on bail in Vancouver awaiting her extradition proceedings. The U.S. has until Wednesday to submit paperwork for the extradition request.

Huawei has close ties to China's military and is considered one of the country's most successful international enterprises.</s>TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has fired his ambassador to China after the envoy said it would be "great" if the U.S. dropped its extradition request for a Chinese tech executive arrested in Canada.

Trudeau said Saturday he asked for and accepted John McCallum's resignation.

McCallum made the remark to the Toronto Star on Friday. That came a day after he issued a statement saying he misspoke about the case earlier in the week and regretted saying Meng Wanzhou has a strong case against extradition.

The arrest of the daughter of the founder of Huawei Technologies Ltd. at Vancouver's airport Dec. 1 severely damaged relations between China and Canada.

The U.S. wants her extradited to face charges that she committed fraud by misleading banks about Huawei's business dealings in Iran</s>Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has ousted his ambassador to China in the middle of a diplomatic feud with Beijing after a string of public remarks drew criticism.

Trudeau asked for, and got, the resignation of John McCallum on Friday, according to a statement from his office issued Saturday. The move comes amid the fallout of Canada’s arrest in December of Huawei Technologies Co. Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, at the request of the U.S., which has angered China.

China has since seized two Canadians and sentenced a third to death, but there had been calls for McCallum’s dismissal over the past week after the ambassador made contentious comments. Canada’s deputy head of mission in its Beijing embassy, Jim Nickel, will represent Canada effective immediately, Trudeau said.

“For almost two decades, John McCallum has served Canadians honorably and with distinction,” Trudeau said in a press release which didn’t address the former lawmaker’s controversies of the past week. “I thank him and his family for his service over the past many years.”
• NP View: The Chinese stakes are too high to tolerate ambassadors going rogue
• Andrew Coyne: McCallum may have revealed Canada’s risky plan to play U.S. and China off against each other

McCallum issued a mea culpa on Jan. 24 for earlier comments made to Chinese media in Canada — among them, that Meng could make a “strong case” in court against any U.S. extradition. He later said he “misspoke” and “created confusion.”

Canada’s Conservative leader Andrew Scheer, Trudeau’s top rival, said at the time that McCallum should have been fired, but Trudeau at first rejected that call, saying it would do nothing to help free the detained Canadians.

McCallum then popped up in the news once again, saying Friday that it would be “great for Canada” if the U.S. dropped its extradition request, according to the Toronto Star newspaper.

Canada arrested Meng in Vancouver on Dec. 1. On Dec 10, China seized two Canadians, former diplomat Michael Kovrig and tour operator Michael Spavor, on national security grounds.

Meng is under house arrest at her $4.2 million mansion in Vancouver, while Kovrig and Spavor remain in custody and have received only rare visits from Canadian officials, including McCallum. A third Canadian, Robert Schellenberg, was sentenced to death by a Chinese court after initially receiving a jail term for alleged drug smuggling.

Trudeau has called the Chinese arrests “arbitrary” and urged Beijing to release Kovrig and Spavor. The U.S. and a broad group of ex-envoys and academics have also called for their release.</s>Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has fired his Chinese ambassador, John McCallum, after the ambassador made several comments regarding the controversial arrest of a Huawei executive in December, saying that she has a strong case to oppose extradition.

Back in December, Canadian authorities arrested Huawei CFO (and daughter of the company’s founder), Meng Wanzhou, who also served on the board of a Hong Kong company, Skycom. That company allegedly did business with Iran, and prosecutors say that because Huawei did business with US banks, she violated US sanctions against the country. Meng was granted bail in a Canadian court shortly after her arrest, and remains in British Columbia while the US attempts to make a case that she should be extradited to stand charges here.

Earlier this week, McCallum said at a news conference that Meng “has some strong arguments that she can make before a judge” when it comes to opposing her extradition, citing statements from US President Donald Trump, and the nature of the sanctions. While McCallum attempted to walk the statements back, but told the Toronto Star that if the US were to drop the extradition request, “that would be great for Canada.”

His statements suggested that the arrests were politically motivated, and have caused considerable headaches for his government as critics have accused him of interfering in the case. The initial arrest has cooled relations between Canada and China, which arrested two Canadian citizens shortly after Meng’s arrest. The deadline for US authorities to file their extradition request comes this week: January 30th.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau fires Canada's ambassador to China, John McCallum, following McCallum's remarks about the extradition of Huawei's CFO, Meng Wanzhou.