China’s Supreme People’s Court has overturned the death sentence of Canadian citizen Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, in a move that may signal a diplomatic thaw between Beijing and Ottawa, Canadian and international officials said. The decision, announced Friday by China’s top court, comes as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney seeks to strengthen economic and trade ties with China amid shifting global relations.
Schellenberg was detained in China in 2014 on drug trafficking charges and was initially sentenced to 15 years in prison. However, in January 2019, after relations between the two countries deteriorated following Canada’s arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, a retrial by a Chinese court elevated his sentence to death, a decision widely criticised by Ottawa and human rights groups as unjust and politically charged.
The lawyer for Schellenberg, Zhang Dongshuo, confirmed that the Supreme People’s Court’s review struck down the death sentence and ordered the case back for retrial at the Liaoning High People’s Court, though no date has yet been set. Zhang said he had met Schellenberg in Dalian, where the Canadian inmate appeared “relatively relaxed” following the ruling.
Global Affairs Canada confirmed it was aware of the decision, with a foreign ministry spokesperson saying that Ottawa would continue to provide consular support to Schellenberg and his family. The statement reiterated Canada’s position that it advocates for clemency in all cases where its citizens face the death penalty abroad.
China–Canada relations have long been strained, including diplomatic tensions that saw two other Canadians detained in China — Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig — in apparent retaliation after Meng’s arrest in Vancouver in 2018. Those cases, widely described as hostage diplomacy, have overshadowed efforts to restore normal bilateral relations.
Carney visited Beijing in January aiming to broaden Canada’s international trading partnerships and reduce dependence on the United States. Officials have described improvements in dialogue and cooperation with Beijing, and the Schellenberg decision may be viewed as part of that broader engagement, though Canadian authorities have not explicitly linked it to diplomatic discussions.
Schellenberg’s retrial represents a significant legal and diplomatic development, raising hopes among family members and advocates that he may receive a fairer outcome under Chinese law. For Ottawa, the move offers a potential opening for improved relations with Beijing — a key player in global politics and trade — even as underlying disagreements on human rights and legal transparency remain unresolved.
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