China has denounced the United States and Canada for arbitrarily detaining foreign citizens for political purposes and called on them to defend international law.

File photo: CGTN

China's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) Geng Shuang outlined his country's position in a video address to the opening of International Law Week on Tuesday.

Geng quoted from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) proclaimed by UN General Assembly in 1948, which says "no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile."

China strongly and firmly opposes arbitrary detention of foreign citizens, the diplomat said, adding that the move often involves unilateral sanctions against other countries and long-arm jurisdiction.

Geng cited Meng Wanzhou, CFO of Chinese tech giant Huawei, as a victim of arbitrary and unlawful detention by the US.

He said it had long been fully proven that the so-called "fraud" charges against Meng are purely fabricated, and even HSBC bank has disclosed materials that are sufficient to prove her innocence.

He deemed the arrest as the persecution of a Chinese citizen designed to hobble Chinese high-tech companies.

Geng also criticized Canada for joining the US in detaining Meng.

He urged the two countries to learn the lesson from their actions, drop their double standards on human rights, and take concrete steps to defend international law.