Today, two Canadians detained in China were charged with spying in a bid to step up pressure on Canada to drop the US’s extradition request for prominent Huawei employee who is currently serving house arrest in Vancouver. One of the Canadians, Michael Kovrig, was charged by china on suspicion of spying for state secrets and intelligence while the other man, Michael Spavor, was charged on suspicion for spying for a foreign entity and illegally providing state secrets.
The charges against the two men were announced on social media by China’s highest prosecutor’s office. Spavor and Kovrig have been held in China for 18 months after being detained in December 2018 following the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, a top Huawei executive.
Read More: China charges 2 Canadians with spying in Huawei-linked case