The Canadian prime minister said that he was concerned by reports that Beijing suspects one of the two Canadians detained in China, Michael Kovrig, of spying.
According to Reuters citing a statement by the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission on its microblog, China has accused ex-diplomat Kovrig of stealing state secrets which were passed on to him from another detained Canadian national, businessman Michael Spavor.
The reports follow the decision by the Canadian Department of Justice to grant authorization to proceed with the extradition process in the case of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. The British Columbia Supreme Court has scheduled an appearance date for March 6 to confirm the extradition authorization and to set the date for the extradition hearing, the press release said.
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Huawei Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Meng Wanzhou was arrested in the Canadian city of Vancouver on December 1, 2018, reportedly, for failing to comply with the US sanctions against Iran, and now faces extradition to the United States. The arrest was decried by Beijing, which has urged the Canadian authorities to immediately release the Chinese national.
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Just a few days after Meng's arrest, the Chinese authorities have detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor, accusing them of posing a threat to the country's security. Beijing denied, however, that the detention had anything to do with Meng's case.
