Michael Spavor, a writer and entrepreneur, dropped out of contact with the Canadian government after telling them he was being questioned by the Chinese authorities.
BEIJING — China appeared to intensify its punitive campaign against Canada over the arrest of a top Chinese technology executive as a second Canadian working here was questioned by security officials and then dropped out of contact with his government.
The second case involves Michael Spavor, a writer and entrepreneur who operates a cultural organization that promotes trips into North Korea. He gained prominence for helping arrange the visits there by Dennis Rodman, the former N. B. A. star. During one of those visits, Mr. Spavor met the country’s reclusive leader, Kim Jong-un, and in appearances in Beijing he would fondly speak about their friendship, though the extent of it was not clear.
Mr. Spavor posted notes on Twitter and Facebook on Sunday that he planned to travel to South Korea on Monday for several days of consulting work. He did not appear, as planned, at a lecture organized there by the Royal Asiatic Society, according to members of the group.
Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s foreign minister, disclosed the second case, and during a news conference Wednesday, warned the administration of President Trump not to further politicize what started as a legal matter: Canada’s arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei, the Chinese technology company that the United States has accused of violating sanctions against trade with Iran.
Ms. Freeland revealed the new case a day after China said that a former Canadian diplomat who was detained in Beijing had been employed by an organization that was “not registered in China legally.
