Former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig detained in China after arrest of Huawei CFO Sabrina Meng Wanzhou in Canada
- Move comes after police in Canada arrested Sabrina Meng Wanzhou, the CFO of China’s Huawei Technologies, on December 1 at the request of US authorities
- It’s not yet clear what reasons have been given for Kovrig’s detention
A former Canadian diplomat has been detained in China at the same time as a Canadian court weighs whether to grant bail to a top Chinese technology executive who is being held in Vancouver pending a US extradition request.
The International Crisis Group (ICG) confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that it was “aware of reports that its North East Asia Senior Adviser, Michael Kovrig, has been detained in China”.
“We are doing everything possible to secure additional information on Michael’s whereabouts as well as his prompt and safe release,” the statement said. The release did not indicate the reasons for Kovrig’s detention.
A person familiar with the matter says Kovrig was detained on Monday night in Beijing during one of his regular visits to the city. The person spoke on condition of anonymity due to a lack of authorisation to speak publicly on the matter.
In an interview with The Star, Guy Saint-Jacques, the previous Canadian ambassador to China, said that Kovrig is on an unpaid leave of absence – meaning that he still has diplomatic status.