It is a revealing sign of the times that the brutal and thuggish nature of state power is increasingly evident. In most cases, such as the assassination of Kim Young Nam, the half-brother of North Korea's top leader, the murder of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the attempted killing of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, the government's involvement is disguised.
It is more alarming that China is not even trying to hide the exercise of its power as Beijing persecutes individuals to send a message to governments that offend it. The detention of two Canadians working in China is a gross abuse of authority and makes abundantly clear Beijing's intent to take hostages to extort the government in Ottawa. The pressure must be resisted and China called out for its lawlessness.
The Dec. 1 arrest in Canada of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications giant, at the behest of the U.S. government, has infuriated Beijing. Meng is being held for a hearing on her extradition to the United States, on charges of bank fraud. In response to that detention — in fact, Meng has been released on bail and is living at home while the extradition hearing is held — Chinese authorities arrested two Canadians living and working in China.