China has suddenly lifted its death sentence for Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, a move that appears to signal a thawing of diplomatic relations between Ottawa and Beijing. The decision was announced by China's highest court on Friday, which overruled a 2019 retrial that had sentenced Schellenberg to death for his role in smuggling narcotics to Australia.
Schellenberg, who has maintained his innocence throughout the ordeal, will now face a new trial by the Liaoning high people's court. His lawyer, Zhang Dongshuo, revealed that he met with Schellenberg on Friday and described him as "relatively relaxed" despite the uncertainty surrounding his fate.
The development is seen as a significant shift in China's stance on Schellenberg's case, which had become increasingly contentious since his detention in 2014. The arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver in 2018 further strained relations between Canada and China, with Beijing detaining two Canadian citizens on espionage charges.
China-Canada ties were at an all-time low before Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to Beijing last month, where he sought to boost trade relations with the country. Carney has repeatedly stated that Ottawa needs a good relationship with Beijing to safeguard its economic future, particularly as the US imposes tariffs on Canadian goods.
While Global Affairs Canada declined to comment on whether diplomacy during Carney's visit influenced China's decision, Schellenberg's lawyer expressed optimism that his client would receive a favorable outcome. Zhang noted that Carney's visit had raised hopes of a more positive development in Schellenberg's case.
The release of Meng Wanzhou and fellow Canadian detainees Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig in September 2021 marked an important milestone in the easing of tensions between Ottawa and Beijing. The Chinese government has made overtures to relax its stance on Canadian citizens, including those facing death sentences for alleged crimes.
It remains to be seen how this decision will play out, but it is clear that China's sudden change of heart may signal a renewed willingness to engage with Canada on diplomatic and economic fronts.
Schellenberg, who has maintained his innocence throughout the ordeal, will now face a new trial by the Liaoning high people's court. His lawyer, Zhang Dongshuo, revealed that he met with Schellenberg on Friday and described him as "relatively relaxed" despite the uncertainty surrounding his fate.
The development is seen as a significant shift in China's stance on Schellenberg's case, which had become increasingly contentious since his detention in 2014. The arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver in 2018 further strained relations between Canada and China, with Beijing detaining two Canadian citizens on espionage charges.
China-Canada ties were at an all-time low before Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to Beijing last month, where he sought to boost trade relations with the country. Carney has repeatedly stated that Ottawa needs a good relationship with Beijing to safeguard its economic future, particularly as the US imposes tariffs on Canadian goods.
While Global Affairs Canada declined to comment on whether diplomacy during Carney's visit influenced China's decision, Schellenberg's lawyer expressed optimism that his client would receive a favorable outcome. Zhang noted that Carney's visit had raised hopes of a more positive development in Schellenberg's case.
The release of Meng Wanzhou and fellow Canadian detainees Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig in September 2021 marked an important milestone in the easing of tensions between Ottawa and Beijing. The Chinese government has made overtures to relax its stance on Canadian citizens, including those facing death sentences for alleged crimes.
It remains to be seen how this decision will play out, but it is clear that China's sudden change of heart may signal a renewed willingness to engage with Canada on diplomatic and economic fronts.
... gotta keep an eye on this tho, don't wanna get too excited just yet 
... hope carney's visit did help with the diplomatic relations, but at the same time, china's still got some major issues to work through 
... fingers crossed for schellenberg's new trial and a positive outcome 
. it's all about the trade deals and whatnot - prime minister carney was in beijing last month trying to get china on board w/ canada, and now china's all like "alright, alright, we'll lift the death sentence". 
i'm not saying carney's all powerful or anything, but if he's got a magic touch, that's what it looks like 
. anyway, schellenberg's lawyer is hyped about this new trial, and who can blame him? his client might actually get a fair shot now 
i mean china was super tough on canada like forever but now its all chill 
hopefully this means we'll see more trade deals and less spy drama between the two nations 
fingers crossed schellenberg gets a good outcome 
I mean, who wouldn't want to keep Canada happy with all those tariffs being imposed on US goods? 
His gamble paid off! Now we'll just have to wait and see how Schellenberg's new trial plays out. Fingers crossed for the guy! 
It's been a rough patch for Canadian-Chinese relations after Meng Wanzhou got arrested in 2018... 
It's all about saving face. And what about Meng Wanzhou and the other Canadians who got released? Was that just a token gesture or is there some real change happening here? 
I'm not buying it. This could be a temporary fix to get Canada off their back before the next big incident... mark my words! 
After all those years, it seems like China is finally willing to listen and work things out with Canada. It's like they're flipping the page and saying "you know what? Maybe we don't have to be enemies all the time." 
Plus, Schellenberg's lawyer seems pretty optimistic about his client's chances, which is great news! 
. We've got no concrete evidence that Carney's visit had any direct impact on Schellenberg's case, just some vague optimism from his lawyer 
.
.
Like, what if he's still guilty and they're just trying to save face or something? 
And what about all the other Canadians who are still behind bars for espionage charges? 
And who knows, maybe Schellenberg will get a fair trial and prove his innocence? 
Can't decide if I'm for or against it...
. The timing of this development, with Prime Minister Carney visiting Beijing and all, does seem pretty suspicious 
. Let's keep our fingers crossed for Schellenberg and hope he gets a fair shake 
.
. It'll be interesting to see how his new trial plays out, but for now, let's just take a deep breath and enjoy the possibility of improved relations between our two nations 
after 10 years of being addicted to it... unlikely, right? 
Anyway, I think this move is a good sign that Beijing wants to improve relations with Ottawa. Carney's visit must've done some good 
. Fingers crossed he gets a fair deal and doesn't end up back in the slammer 
. This could be the start of something positive for Canada-China ties... we'll just have to wait and see how it plays out 
.
. Is China finally willing to swallow their pride and play nice with Canada, or is this just another clever move to get out of something? 
. Schellenberg's lawyer sounds like he's got a real shot at getting his client off scot-free, but we still gotta wait and see what happens next... this is just too much drama for one person to handle 