China shrugs off outrage over death sentence for Canadian
‘I can very clearly state that we are not worried in the slightest,’ says Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson
Beijing — China said on Wednesday that it was “not worried in the slightest” by mounting international concern over the death sentence handed to a Canadian for drug smuggling. Monday’s sentence for Robert Schellenberg for smuggling 222kg of methamphetamines prompted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to accuse China of “arbitrarily” applying the death penalty. The UN said it was opposed to the death penalty apart from exceptional circumstances, and Australia’s acting foreign minister Simon Birmingham said he was “deeply concerned” by the case. Speaking at a daily news briefing in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Canada’s “so-called allies could be counted on 10 fingers” and did not represent the views of the wider international community. “I can very clearly state that we are not worried in the slightest,” Hua said of the mounting outcry, adding that the majority of Chinese supported severe punishment for drug crimes. Schellenberg’s sentence has f...
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