Global Affairs Canada has confirmed that an undisclosed number of Canadian citizens were executed in China earlier this year.

The foreign affairs ministry stated that it "strongly condemns" China's application of the death penalty, highlighting its irreversibility and its inconsistency with fundamental human dignity.

A representative from Global Affairs Canada mentioned that the government has consistently advocated for clemency for the individuals involved at high levels and opposes the death penalty in all circumstances.

Support is being offered to the families of the victims through consular assistance.

In response, China's embassy in Canada asserted that it is a "rule of law" nation, where anyone found guilty of violating laws must be held accountable, especially concerning serious drug-related offenses that are deemed detrimental to society.

The embassy also claimed that it possesses "solid and sufficient" evidence in all cases of executed prisoners and that the Chinese judicial system had managed these cases in strict compliance with the law, safeguarding the rights and interests of the implicated Canadian nationals.

The conviction rate in China exceeds 99%, a figure that has been met with skepticism and reproach from human rights organizations.

Relations between Canada and China have deteriorated since 2018, following the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver at the behest of US authorities, which subsequently resulted in the detention of two Canadian citizens in China on espionage charges.

A Canadian citizen, Robert Schellenberg, who was charged with attempting to smuggle methamphetamine to Australia in 2014, saw his sentence escalated to execution in 2019 amid the diplomatic tensions between the two nations.