China sentences Canadian to 11 years in case tied to Huawei

A Chinese court has sentenced a Canadian entrepreneur to 11 years in prison in a spying case that has been linked to Beijing’s pressure campaign against Canada's government

DANDONG, China -- A Canadian entrepreneur was sentenced to 11 years in prison in a spying case linked to Beijing’s effort to push his country to release an executive of tech giant Huawei, prompting an unusual show of support for Canada by the United States and 24 other governments. China is stepping up pressure as a Canadian judge hears final arguments about whether to send the Huawei executive to the United States to face charges related to possible violations of trade sanctions on Iran. Earlier this week, a court rejected another Canadian's appeal of his sentence in a drug case that was abruptly increased to death after the executive's arrest. Entrepreneur Michael Spavor and a former Canadian diplomat were detained in what critics labeled “hostage politics” after Huawei's Meng Wanzhou was arrested Dec. 1, 2018, at the Vancouver airport. Spavor was sentenced by a court in Dandong, about 210 miles (340 kilometers) east of Beijing on the North Korean border. The government has released few details other than to accuse Spavor of passing along sensitive information to the former diplomat, Michael Kovrig, beginning in 2017. Both have been held in isolation and have had little contact with Canadian diplomats.