Canadian Michael Spavor Jailed For 11 Years In China On Spying Charges

Michael Spavor was detained in 2018 along with compatriot Michael Kovrig in what Ottawa said was a politically motivated move after Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada on a US extradition warrant.

A Chinese court on Wednesday jailed Canadian businessman Michael Spavor for 11 years after finding him guilty of spying in a case his country has decried as "trumped up". Spavor was detained in 2018 along with compatriot Michael Kovrig in what Ottawa said was a politically motivated move after Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada on a US extradition warrant. Relations between the two countries have hit rock bottom, with China also accusing Canada of politicising legal cases. Spavor "was convicted of espionage and illegally providing state secrets", Dandong city's Intermediate People's Court said in a statement.