U.S. officials push for Canadian’s release
China urged to free former envoy for sake of relations with the U.S.
VANCOUVER— Former U.S. federal officials along with leaders of U.S. foreign policy think tanks, advocacy organizations and research institutions are renewing calls for the release of a Canadian man detained in China in the wake of Canada’s arrest of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou.
In an open letter published Monday on the website of policy think tank International Crisis Group, 15 signatories urged Beijing to release Michael Kovrig for the sake of his family, as well as for the well- being of bilateral relations between China and the United States.
“We are particularly concerned by the detention of one of our colleagues, Michael Kovrig, a Canadian national working for the International Crisis Group. Michael’s arrest has a chilling effect on all those who are committed to advance constructive U.S.-China relations. We urge China to release Michael so that he can return to his family,” the statement reads.
Kovrig, a diplomat-on-leave and Crisis Group’s senior adviser for northeast Asia, was arrested in Beijing on Dec. 10, the same day a second Canadian, entrepreneur Michael Spavor, was also arrested.
Numerous former diplomats and independent experts have repeatedly framed the arrests as a retaliatory gesture in response to the Canadian arrest of Meng, who is being sought by U.S. authorities to face criminal charges stateside in relation to violations of U.S. sanctions against Iran.
Since their arrest, neither Kovrig nor Spavor has had access to a lawyer; both have had access to Canadian consular services roughly once a month. Chinese officials say they have upheld their obligations according to the consular agreement between China and Canada.
On March 4, reports surfaced that the pair had been accused of espionage in both Chinese state media and on a government website — charges which Crisis Group says have neither been formally laid nor reflect anything close to the reality of Kovrig’s work in China.
Analysts framed the development as further retaliation from Beijing, this time for the March 1 issuance of an “authorization to proceed” in Meng’s extradition case by Justice Minister David Lametti.
Observers have characterized the detentions of Kovrig and Spavor as a kind of hostage-taking, meant to pressure the Canadian government into releasing Meng, a star Chinese tech executive arrested at Vancouver International Airport in December.
Meng is currently on bail and living in her family’s multimillion-dollar home in Vancouver, pending the outcome of her extradition proceedings.