Canadian Michael Spavor goes on trial for spying in China

Timing of the trials of Spavor and fellow Canadian Michael Kovrig seen as a political move designed to coincide with US-China talks.

Michael Spavor, one of two Canadians detained by China more than two years ago, appeared in court on Friday morning to face charges of espionage, in a case seen in Ottawa and Washington as retaliation for Canada’s arrest of a top Huawei executive on an extradition warrant from the United States. China detained Spavor and fellow Canadian Michael Kovrig, an  former diplomat, in December 2018, just days after Canadian police arrested Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s chief financial officer. Beijing insists the detentions are not linked to the arrest of Meng, who remains under house arrest in one of her Vancouver mansions, as she fights extradition to the United States.