On first sight, Canada is caught in a clash between two rhinos. Unfortunately for Ottawa, the truth is probably worse. If Beijing charged straight at Washington, it would risk being badly gouged. Instead, it seems to be redirecting aggression in a threat display and Ottawa is the unlucky object getting thrashed.
乍一看，加拿大好似陷入两只“犀牛”之间的冲突。不幸的是，对于渥太华来说，事实可能更糟。如果中国直接向美国发难，那么事态发展可能会更糟糕。相反的是中国像是把美国的这次“入侵”演变成一次双方摆出“威吓姿态”的对垒，而加拿大则不幸地“受伤”。
Chinese state media report that two Canadians have been separately detained on suspicion of “engaging in activities that harm China’s national security”, days after Beijing warned that the arrest of a powerful Chinese Huawei executive in Vancouver would have “grave consequences”. Observers, including two former Canadian ambassadors to China, have already concluded that this is retaliation. China will not concede any link to the Huawei case. But the timing, rhetoric from state media, and the fact that a Canadian couple was detained in similar circumstances, all lend heft to the assumption.
中国官方媒体报道称，两名加拿大人因涉嫌“从事危害中国国家安全的活动”而被单独拘留，此前几天中国警告说，在温哥华逮捕中国华为高管会产生“严重后果”。注意到这件事的，包括两名前加拿大驻华大使，已经得出结论认为这是报复行为。 中国不会承认这与华为案件有任何联系。 但是，拘留发生的时间，媒体的言论，以及一对加拿大夫妇在类似情况下被拘留（具体情况可自行搜索）的事实，都指向这一假设。
It is taken as a matter of course in China, and not only by the leadership, that the US acted politically in issuing an arrest warrant for Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, for fraud relating to sanctions on Iran. Such charges against an executive are unusual. Ms Meng is particularly high profile and well connected, and her case comes in the midst of the trade war. The US would have understood how inflammatory it would be. That said, it is not unprecedented. Earlier this year, the US issued a warrant for former Volkswagen chief Martin Winterkorn in relation to the diesel emissions scandal. And the allegations against Ms Meng are believed to relate to a two-year investigation into sanctions breaches.
在中国，不仅是领导层理所当然地认为，美国向华为首席财务官发出逮捕令，因为其对伊朗制裁有欺诈行为，是具有政治性的。对高管的这种指控是不寻常的。孟女士的案子受到各方关注，她的案子发生于贸易战中。美国会明白这将是多么煽动性。这不是前所未有的。今年早些时候，美国向前大众汽车首席执行官马丁·温特科恩（Martin Winterkorn）发出关于柴油机排放丑闻的逮捕令。据信，针对孟女士的指控涉及对制裁违规行为已经有两年调查。
In any case, the threats to Ottawa are entirely misplaced. Canada has done what it is obliged to do under its extradition agreement with the US: arrest a suspect, as requested, and have the matter go through its judicial system. Ms Meng, who denies wrongdoing, has had full consular and legal access and is now on bail.
无论如何，加拿大受到了完全不该有的威胁。 根据与美国的引渡协议，加拿大已经做了它必须做的事情：按要求逮捕一名嫌疑人，并将此事通过其司法系统审理。孟女士否认有不法行为，她已获得完全的领事和合法准入，目前已被保释。
Alarm has only been increased by the US administration’s linking of the Huawei case to trade issues. Donald Trump has said he “would certainly intervene if I thought it was necessary” to close a deal in the trade dispute. This may have been instinctive grandstanding rather than settled policy. But he has not only encouraged others to treat detentions as a bargaining chip; he has also given Ms Meng’s legal team the material to challenge extradition on the grounds that this is a politicised prosecution. Should he intervene, it would make US justice look partial and political and confirm that Washington will demand the aid of its allies, but throw them under a bus whenever Mr Trump thinks it expedient.
美国政府将华为案件与贸易问题挂钩，只会让弦绷得更紧。特朗普表示，如果能在贸易争端中达成协议，那么他“肯定会介入，只要他觉得是必要的话”。 这可能是本能的哗众取宠而不是想解决问题。但他不仅鼓励其他人将拘留作为讨价还价的筹码;他还给孟女士的法律团队提供了质疑引渡的材料，理由是：这是一个政治化的起诉。如果他介入，这将使美国的司法看起来偏袒且充满政治性，并确认美国还是需要其盟友的援助，但只要特朗普认为它只是权宜之计，他就会把它们扔在一边。
Canada’s allies should do all they can to support it in the face of retaliation of whatever kind, not only from principle, but from simple self-interest. It is unlikely to be the last nation to be trampled in this conflict.
不论是什么样的报复，加拿大的盟友应该尽其所能来支持它，不论是出于原则，还是出于简单的自身利益。 它不可能成为最后一个在这场冲突中被践踏的国家。
（编辑：张嘉秀）