“China’s revenge will be far worse than detaining a Canadian.”
It turns out that US worries over conducting business and travel in China were justified. Two Canadian business executives have been arrested on national-security grounds in China, just days after the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou. CBS News reports that the Canadian embassy has thus far not been able to contact Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, although their spokesperson insists that their legal rights are being “safeguarded” by their jailers:
China on Thursday confirmed it has detained two Canadian men, raising the stakes in a three-way international dispute over the case of a Chinese telecoms executive facing possible extradition from Canada to the United States.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said entrepreneur Michael Spavor and former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig were taken into custody on Monday on suspicion of “engaging in activities that endanger the national security” of China.
Lu said Canada was informed about the detentions, but declined to say whether the men have been provided with lawyers. He said the cases are being handled separately by local bureaus of the national intelligence agency in Beijing, where Kovrig was picked up, and the northeastern city of Dandong, where Spavor had been living.
