Article content

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called China’s seizure of two Canadian citizens unacceptable and said Canada was getting caught in a trade war between two superpowers that would have consequences for the economy.

Meanwhile in China, Canada’s ambassador in Beijing, John McCallum, was granted access to former diplomat Michael Kovrig on Friday, five days after he was detained on charges he was a threat to China’s national security.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or 'Unintended consequences on Canada': Trudeau fears economic fallout from U.S.-China spat Back to video

Trudeau said he expected China to also give access to entrepreneur Michael Spavor, a self-fashioned “fixer” who has spent decades working in authoritarian states and once sipped ice tea with Kim Jung Un on the North Korean leader’s private yacht.

He, too, has been been held since Monday in apparent retaliation for the Canadian arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei. She was detained on Dec. 1 while switching planes in Vancouver at the request of the United States. She is facing extradition on charges that she and the company breached U.S. sanctions against Iran.