All eyes on Beijing's response at a key anniversary event amid Huawei saga

BEIJING'S response to the arrest of Huawei's chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou in Canada last week was largely predictable. China's leaders saw the event as a political kidnapping by the US, with Canada acting as a willing lackey.

So in retaliation, Beijing has detained two Canadians, Michael Spavor, who describes himself as an entrepreneur, and a former diplomat, Michael Kovrig, who now works for a think tank, the International Crisis Group (ICG). Beijing says that ICG is not registered as a non-governmental organisation and therefore not allowed in the country.

To begin with, there is clearly an element of posturing in the Chinese response. While it is the duty of every nation to ensure that any citizen arrested in a foreign land is given consular assistance and informed of local laws and processes, it is both absurd and hypocritical for China to claim that Canada is in violation of human rights.