OTTAWA—U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence has offered Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Washington’s full-throated support in the effort to free two Canadian citizens arbitrarily detained in China.

In a whirlwind visit to Ottawa to advocate for swift ratification of the new NAFTA deal, Pence delivered Washington’s strongest show of support to Canada to date, issuing a joint statement that called on Beijing to release Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who were arrested in retaliation for Canada’s assistance to the U.S. in prosecuting a Huawei executive.

Pence told reporters that U.S. President Donald Trump may raise the plight of the two Canadians in his own talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan next month, linking their freedom to ongoing trade talks between the two nations.

“We will continue to urge China to release the Canadian citizens even while we deal with the larger structural and economic issues between the United States and China,” he told reporters during a news conference.

“We know you will not be intimidated by the use of coercive tactics and neither will we.”

It was a significant takeaway for Canada from a half-day of talks that focused on a range of bilateral and international issues. The visit produced much bonhomie and little friction, a welcome detente a year after Trump’s tirade at Trudeau at last year’s G7 and ongoing trade tensions.

However domestic politics were not far from either politician’s mind.

Pence and Trudeau contrasted their governments’ views on everything from abortion rights and the role of Cuba’s influence in Venezuela to Canada's sovereignty over Arctic waters including the Northwest Passage, and particularly on Huawei’s role in the development of global high-speed 5G wireless networks.

Trudeau said he highlighted the “significant concerns” of Canadians and his Liberal government at the passage of new “anti-choice laws” in several American states. He called it a “cordial” conversation, but said “obviously” he and Pence have “very different perspectives on this.”

Trudeau said his government “will always stand up for the rights of women, and for the free choice of women.”

But the conservative Republican politician turned aside Trudeau’s concerns, and said while “friends can have differences of opinions,” it was none of Canada’s business.

“Those are debates within the United States,” he said, “and I know that Canada will deal with those issues in a manner that the people of Canada determine most appropriate.”

Pence called the discussion “very respectful” before pivoting to the economic ties between the two countries, which he had made clear was the priority for his first trip to Canada as vice-president.

It was a whirlwind visit that Pence initiated, leading Trudeau to cancel previous plans to spend the day in Montreal. At a news conference after more than two hours of meetings, the vice-president said Trump sent him to “reaffirm one of the most successful partnerships between any two nations.”

That partnership has been strained in the past two years. Trudeau highlighted two ongoing concerns: Canada’s softwood lumber exports to the U.S. and warnings that the U.S. may seek to limit Canada’s uranium exports.

Pence reiterated U.S. opposition to allowing Chinese technology giant Huawei access to 5G networks, a view the administration has expressed to Canada and other nations.

“We’ve been very clear with Canada and all of our allies that we consider Huawei incompatible with the security interests of the United States of America or our allies,” Pence said.

He said that allowing Huawei to develop the 5G network would give it access to “sensitive national security information” that he claimed could be passed on to the Chinese government.

“The legal framework within China gives the Chinese government access to information and data that is collected by Chinese companies like Huawei,” he said.

The federal government is currently weighing whether to allow Huawei to supply 5G technology in Canada and Trudeau said that decision would be made based on “evidence and facts and analysis” by security experts and discussions with allies.

“Political considerations will not come into our reflections,” Trudeau said.

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Pence, accompanied by wife Karen, thanked Trudeau for the “warm welcome” to Ottawa. Pence is the most senior member of the U.S. administration to visit since Trump took office in 2017.

The U.S. vice-president said he was “especially grateful” for Trudeau’s time on a historic sports day as the Toronto Raptors prepare to make their first-ever appearance in the NBA finals with game one of the series against the Golden State Warriors.

“I think I know your loyalty and I think you know mine. But we know it’s going to be a great playoff,” Pence said.

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