Second Canadian held by China as foreign spy row intensifies
● Pair arrested for ‘national security’ ● Chinese editor warns of retaliation
China has confirmed detaining two Canadian men, raising the stakes in a three-way dispute over a Chinese technology executive facing possible extradition from Canada to the United States.
Entrepreneur Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig were taken into custody on Monday on suspicion of “engaging in activities that endanger the national security” of China, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.
Mr Lu said Canada was informed, but declined to say whether the men had been provided with lawyers. He said the cases were being handled separately by local bureaus of the national intelligence agency in Beijing where Mr Kovrig was picked up and the northeastern city of Dandong, where Mr Spavor lived. “The legal rights of the two Canadians are being safeguarded,” Mr Lu said.
The two cases ratchet up pressure on Canada, which is holding Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Ltd. She was arrested on 1 December at the request of the United States, which wants her extradited to face bank fraud charges.
Canadian officials have been unable to contact Mr Spavor “since he let us know he was being questioned by Chinese authorities”, Canadian global affairs spokesman Guillaume Berube said. “We are working very hard to ascertain his whereabouts and we continue to raise this with the Chinese government.”
Mr Kovrig is an analyst on north-east Asia for the International Crisis Group thinktank, who took a leave of absence from the Canadian government. He lives in Hong Kong. Mr Spavor runs tours of Northkoreaalongwithsports, business and other exchanges through his company Paektu Cultural Exchange. He has met leader Kim Jong Un and was instrumental in bringin ing former NBA star Dennis Rodman to the North’s capital Pyongyang in 2013.
Acquaintances said Mr Spavor was due Monday in Seoul, the South Korean capital, but failed to arrive.
The detentions echo that of another Canadian, Keven Garratt, who was picked up in 2014 in what was seen as retaliation for Canada’s arrest of a Chinese spying suspect wanted the United States. Mr Garratt was held for 750 days from 2014 to 2016 and sentenced to eight years in prison on spying charges, but then deported.
The broadly defined national security charge encompasses both traditional espionage and other forms of information gathering such as interviewing dissidents and contacting non-governmental organisations.
Ms Meng was arrested while changing planes in Vancouver, but has been released on bail.
The US accuses Huawei of using a Hong Kong shell company to deceive banks and do business with Iran in violation of American sanctions.
China earlier warned of unspecified dire consequencesifmsmengwasnotreleased.
The editor-in-chief of the Global Times, a Communist Party-run tabloid known for its provocative views, warned in a video on Wednesday night of “retaliatory measures”.