China defended on Tuesday its year-long detention of two Canadians after Ottawa accused Beijing of “arbitrarily” arresting the men in what was widely seen as retaliation for the arrest of a Huawei executive. Former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor have been languishing in China’s opaque legal system since they were apprehended on December 10, 2018, just nine days after the arrest of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou.
