Trudeau rejects a trade to free the two Michaels from China

Prime Minister Trudeau thanked U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo for speaking out on behalf of the two Canadian businessmen being held in China .Pompeo on Monday called for the immediate release of two Canadians charged by China for alleged espionage, saying the United States was “extremely concerned” and that the two men’s detention was unjustified. “These charges are politically motivated and completely groundless,” Pompeo said in a statement. Chinese prosecutors announced the charges on Friday against former diplomat

Trudeau told reporters that shortly after the arrest of the two Canadians Chinese authorities made it clear the arrest was a quid pro quo for the arrest of Huawei senior executive Meng Wanzhou who is under house arrest in Vancouver pending extradition hearings  regarding charges she faces in the US. But today in response to a reporter question Trudeau flatly rejected any suggestion of making a trade.