China: Two Canadian nationals formally charged with "spying"

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This Friday, June 19, China formally charged with "spying" two Canadians detained since December 2018 in the name of national security. The affair seriously poisons diplomatic relations between Beijing and Ottawa.

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Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat previously stationed in Beijing, as well as consultant and businessman Michael Spavor, a specialist in North Korea, are accused of "  spying  " and having "  disclosed state secrets  ", said the Chinese prosecution on Friday (June 18th) in two brief press releases. The two men were arrested in December 2018 a few days after the arrest in Canada, at the request of the American justice, of the financial director of the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, Meng Wanzhou.

An unprecedented diplomatic crisis

Huawei founder daughter Meng is accused by the United States of circumventing U.S. sanctions against Iran. His arrest in late 2018 opened an unprecedented diplomatic crisis between Ottawa and Beijing. The proceedings against the two Canadians are widely seen in the West as a reprisal.

"  The rule of law  "

What China firmly denies, claiming to be "the  rule of law  ", even if justice remains under the influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). But the country mostly deals with matters of national security with great opacity. Beijing has repeatedly implied that the release of Meng Wanzhou was a prerequisite for improving its relations with Ottawa.

( with AFP )

Read also: Green light from Canada to continue the extradition of number two from Huawei

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