China Reverses Death Penalty for Canadian in Drug-Smuggling Case

New York Times - WorldCenter-LeftEN 3 min read 100% complete by Lily KuoFebruary 6, 2026 at 08:51 PM

AI Summary

medium article 3 min

China's Supreme People's Court overturned the death sentence of Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, convicted of drug smuggling. Schellenberg's case, initially a 15-year prison sentence, escalated to a death sentence after a 2019 retrial following the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Canada. The reversal comes after a recent meeting between Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, signaling a potential thaw in relations and a new strategic partnership. While the case will be retried, Schellenberg's lawyer believes another death sentence is unlikely. The case has been a source of diplomatic friction between China and Canada, especially after China detained two other Canadians following Meng's arrest.

Keywords

death penalty 100% drug smuggling 90% china-canada relations 80% retrial 70% robert lloyd schellenberg 70% diplomatic friction 60% meng wanzhou 50% hostage diplomacy 40% tariffs 40%

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Source
New York Times - World
Political Lean
Center-Left (-0.30)
Far LeftCenterFar Right
Classification Confidence
90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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