China, Canada diplomatic row escalates with death sentence

BEIJING: A diplomatic spat between Beijing and Ottawa intensified on Tuesday as Canada warned its citizens of the risk of “arbitrary enforcement” of laws in China after a Canadian drug suspect was sentenced to death. The Canadian government updated its travel advice hours after a court in northeast China sentenced Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, 36, to death at a retrial after his previous 15-year prison term was deemed too lenient. The punishment was handed down amid a clash between Ottawa and Beijing over Canada’s arrest of a top executive from telecom giant Huawei last month on a US extradition request related to Iran sanctions violations.