TORONTO (AP) — Fifteen prominent U.S. foreign policy experts are calling for the release of a Canadian detained in China in apparent retaliation for the arrest of a top Chinese tech executive in Canada.

The scholars and think tank executives released a statement Monday saying that Michael Kovrig's detention sends a "chilling effect on all those who are committed to advance constructive U.S.-China relations."

Kovrig works International Crisis Group think tank.

China arrested Kovrig and another Canadian on Dec. 10, apparently attempting to pressure Canada to release Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. Meng was arrested at the request of U.S. authorities who want her extradited to face fraud charges.

The scholars include figures from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, the Brookings Institute, the Asia Society and the Hudson Institute, among others.