China pardons death row Canadian Robert Schellenberg

Schellenberg, accused of drug trafficking, had his prison sentence converted to the death penalty in 2019.

The death sentence came at a time of heightened diplomatic tensions between China and Canada, shortly after Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Chinese telecom giant Huawei, at Vancouver airport at the request of the United States.

Meng Wanzhou was suspected of violating sanctions and was under Canadian house arrest before she was released in 2021 and able to return home.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with President Xi Jinping in China in January. They reached, among other things, an agreement to lower tariffs on certain goods.