Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to our witnesses for your engagement, your courage, and your presence with us here today.
Ms. Gui, I'll start with you. Your family situation highlights two key aspects of China's emerging kidnapping and hostage diplomacy: the the denial of citizenship, and the real risk of abduction from third countries.
For me, this brings back the case of Huseyin Celil that we've talked about in this committee before. He is a Canadian citizen whose Canadian citizenship has been denied by China and others. He has not, therefore, been able to have consular access while in prison. He was also abducted from Uzbekistan, a third country.
Could you speak more to these elements? Specifically, should we be concerned that Canadian citizens detained in China, or currently in Hong Kong, could be forced to renounce their citizenship, and how concerned should we be about Canadian citizens being abducted from third countries? How should we respond to protect our citizens who may be vulnerable in third countries?