By Canadian Press

Canadian ambassador to China Dominic Barton tenders resignation

Dec 6, 2021 | 6:50 AM

OTTAWA — Canadian ambassador to China Dominic Barton has tendered his resignation after two tense years in the job.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Barton’s pending departure in a statement this morning, saying the former business executive will officially leave at the end of the year.

Barton’s decision to leave comes after two Canadians who had been detained by China were released in September.

Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were first detained in December 2018 in apparent retaliation for Canadian authorities having arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who was wanted in the U.S.

Efforts to release the two Michaels dominated Barton’s tenure as Canada’s top diplomat in Beijing.

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Yet he was also criticized at times for pushing greater trade ties with China, even as the two Canadians languished in Chinese prisons.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2021.

The Canadian Press