China Tries Michael Kovrig, Second Canadian at Center of Diplomatic Standoff Espionage trial of researcher began days after a similar hearing for Canadian Michael Spavor
BEIJING—Chinese authorities opened and closed the espionage trial of the second Canadian at the center of a long-running standoff with both Canada and the U.S. without delivering a verdict.
Michael Kovrig, a researcher on leave from Canada’s diplomatic service, attended the hearing Monday with his lawyer, said Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court, adding that it would issue a verdict at a later date. Mr. Kovrig has been charged with “probing into state secrets and intelligence” on behalf of foreign actors.
The trial began three days after a similar hearing for Michael Spavor in the northeastern Chinese city of Dandong, on the border with North Korea. That hearing concluded in a matter of hours, also without a verdict. Mr. Spavor ran a nonprofit that organized academic, tourist and business trips to North Korea.
Jim Nickel, Canada’s deputy chief of mission in China, said outside the Beijing court Monday morning that he had requested entry to the hearing but that he was denied on national security grounds. He cited Mr. Kovrig’s lawyer and a court official in saying the trial had begun.
Flanked by U.S. acting deputy chief of mission, William Klein, and diplomats from more than two dozen countries, many of them European, Mr. Nickel called for Chinese authorities to grant them access. He pointed to the Canada-China consular agreement, which he said guarantees consular access to citizens being tried. Canadian diplomats were also denied consular access to Mr. Spavor’s trial on national security grounds.
“Because the cases involve state secrets, the hearings are not held in open courts,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular briefing Monday. The court also cited national security.
Messrs. Spavor and Kovrig were arrested in December 2018, days after Canadian authorities detained Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co., on behalf of the U.S., which is seeking her extradition on fraud charges. The cases have locked China into a diplomatic row with Canada and the U.S., with officials trading barbs over the detentions and accusing each other of taking hostages to advance political goals.
The U.S. has accused Ms. Meng of misleading banks about Huawei’s ties to a subsidiary that did business in Iran, leading those banks to clear transactions that potentially violated international sanctions. Huawei and Ms. Meng have denied wrongdoing.
Ms. Hua, of the Foreign Ministry, called on Canada to release Ms. Meng.
Mr. Kovrig couldn’t be reached. Mr. Kovrig’s wife, Vina Nadjibulla, has said he is innocent. Mr. Spavor’s family has said his detention is unfair and unreasonable, especially given the lack of transparency.
Mr. Spavor was charged with “probing into and illegally providing state secrets” to foreign actors and attended the closed-door trial with his lawyer, according to the court.
On Monday, Ms. Nadjibulla, who is separated from Mr. Kovrig but remains a close friend and his family’s liaison with Canadian officials, said she hoped the show of support by international diplomats outside his trial would apply pressure on China to speed up the release of the two Canadians.
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