China Officially Charges Two Canadians With Spying

Prosecutors in China on Friday officially charged two Canadian business executives working in the country with spying

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th June, 2020) Prosecutors in China on Friday officially charged two Canadian business executives working in the country with spying.

The prosecutors in Beijing and Dandong, Liaoning province have formally charged the two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, with identical spying charges, respectively, the local prosecutor's offices in both cities said in separate statements.

The Canadians were arrested shortly after Meng Wanzhou, a top Huawei executive who is the daughter of the company's founder Ren Zhengfei, was detained in Canada in 2018. Meng is facing extradition to the United States after US prosecutors accused her of playing a role in a company that helped countries including Iran and North Korea to evade US sanctions.

As Beijing called for Meng's release, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stressed the independence of Canada's judicial system. In response, Beijing also defended China's judicial system's independence and denied that the cases against Canadian nationals were politically motivated.

The arrests served as a catalyst for a rift in Chinese-Canadian relations, reducing diplomatic relations to its lowest point in years, which have slightly rebounded amid global efforts to contain the novel coronavirus pandemic.