Arrest of Huawei CFO: A retaliation? China detains former Canadian diplomat

China has threatened severe consequences unless Canada releases Meng immediately

A former Canadian diplomat has been detained in China, two sources said on Tuesday, just hours before a top executive at Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies was set to return to a Vancouver courtroom for a bail hearing that has angered Beijing.

It was not immediately clear if the cases were related, but Canadian analysts had already predicted China would retaliate after the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou at the request of US authorities. The former diplomat is Michael Kovrig. He works for the International Crisis Group, which said it was seeking his prompt and safe release.

Canadian officials said they