The U.S. State Department today called on the Chinese government to free two Canadian citizens apparently being held in retaliation for Ottawa's arrest of a Huawei executive at the request of the United States.

"We share Canada’s commitment to the rule of law as fundamental to all free societies, and we will defend and uphold this principle," State Department spokesperson Robert Palladino said in a statement. "We also express our deep concern for the Chinese Government’s detention of two Canadians earlier this month and call for their immediate release."


Canada arrested Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou on Dec. 1 at the request of the United States, which is seeking her extradition to face charges related to Iran sanctions violations.

Since then, China has detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and Canadian businessman Michael Spavor on charges of violating national security, in what many see as a tit-for-tat move. However, Beijing has denied the cases are linked.

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British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt also issued a statement demanding the release of the Canadian citizens, as did Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland.

“We are deeply concerned by the arbitrary detention by Chinese authorities of two Canadians earlier this month and call for their immediate release," Freeland said.


The U.S., U.K. and Canadian statements all emphasized Canada's commitment to the "rule of law" and the obligation it had to arrest Meng under an extradition treaty it has with the United States.

"The U.K. has confidence Canada is conducting a fair and transparent legal proceeding with respect to Ms. Meng Wanzhou, the Chief Financial Officer of Huawei, respecting the international legal commitments in its extradition treaty with the United States," Hunt said.

The statements come days after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau fielded several questions about his approach to the diplomatic row, which up until now hadn’t included demanding the men’s release.

“One of the things that I’ve learned over the past three years of being engaged in consular cases, and showing a modest amount of success in securing the return of Canadians in difficulty around the world, is that every case is different," requiring a “complex approach” with “multiple different elements” that varies depending on the situation, Trudeau said.


“But I can assure you that our primary and single-minded focus is always what is in the best interests of Canadians and in particular what is in the best interests of Canadians being held,” he said.

On Friday, Freeland expressed gratitude for those who have spoken out on Canada's behalf.

"We share with our partners the conviction that the rule of law is not a choice: It is the bedrock of democracy. Canada will not compromise nor politicize the rule of law and due process," she said.

Lauren Gardner contributed to this report.