TEHRAN, Jan 14- Former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig, being held in China on suspicion of endangering national security, is not entitled to diplomatic immunity, China's foreign ministry said on Monday.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday chastised China over the detention of two Canadians following the arrest of a senior Chinese executive at the request of the United States.
Trudeau also accused China of "not respecting the principles of diplomatic immunity" in one of the cases.
Asked about Trudeau's comments, China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that the "relevant Canadian person" should "earnestly study" the Vienna Convention before speaking, so as to "not become a laughing stock".
"No matter how you look at it, Michael Kovrig does not have diplomatic immunity under the Vienna Convention," she said.
Kovrig is not now serving as a diplomat and had entered China on his most recent trip on a regular passport and business visa, she said.
Kovrig was one of two Canadians detained in China days after the Dec. 1 arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Co [HWT.UL], in Vancouver, at the request of the United States.
The other Canadian held in China is businessman Michael Spavor.
China has not directly linked its arrest of the two Canadians with Meng's arrest in Canada. It says the two men are being investigated in accordance with Chinese law.
But Beijing-based Western diplomats have called the detentions a clear reprisal for Meng's arrest and have said the two are "political hostages" being used as leverage by Beijing.
Source: Reuters
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