PM concerned as China suspects Canadian of spying

MONTREAL: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau voiced strong concern that China suspects a detained former Canadian diplomat of spying and stealing state secrets.

The allegations against Michael Kovrig mark a new escalation in the diplomatic row between Beijing and Ottawa stemming from Canada’s arrest of Meng Wanzhou, an executive from Chinese telecoms giant Huawei.

“We are obviously very concerned with the position that China has taken,” Trudeau told reporters.

China’s official news agency Xinhua had earlier reported the allegations against Kovrig and said that businessman Michael Spavor, another Canadian in Chinese detention, was one of Kovrig’s main intelligence sources.

The pair were detained in December in what observers see as retaliation just days after Canada arrested Meng, the chief financial officer of Huawei, at the request of the United States.

Chinese authorities had previously said the two Canadian men were under investigation on suspicion of endangering national security, and spying charges could expose them to tough prison sentences.

Trudeau reiterated that Canada considers China to have arbitrarily

We’ve been engaging and standing up for the two Canadians who’ve been arbitrarily detained.

detained both Kovrig and Spavor.

“The safety and security of Canadians is always first order for this government, and that’s why we’ve been engaging and standing up for the two Canadians who’ve been arbitrarily detained by China from the very beginning,” Trudeau said.

Kovrig, who now works for the International Crisis Group think tank, had often entered China using a non-diplomatic passport and business visas and has been gathering intelligence since 2017, Xinhua said.

The new allegations come three days after Canada launched the extradition process against Meng, angering Beijing, which called the action a “severe political incident.”

Meng is set to appear in court in Vancouver today to schedule a date for her extradition hearing.

Justin Trudeau