China accuses Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor of stealing state secrets

China has upped the ante over its detention of two Canadians, accusing the pair of acting together to steal state secrets just days after Ottawa decided to proceed with an extradition hearing for a Chinese tech giant executive.

Former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig is accused of “severely violating” Chinese law by acting as a spy and stealing Chinese state secrets and intelligence since 2017, state news agency Xinhua reported on Monday, citing unnamed Chinese authorities.

The report said he entered China using an ordinary passport and business visas, and obtained intelligence from Michael Spavor, another Canadian also held in China.

The pair were taken into Chinese custody in December, soon after Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Chinese telecom firm Huawei, was arrested by Canadian authorities at the request of the US government.

Kovrig, who was working as a senior adviser for International Crisis Group, a non-governmental organisation, was detained by the Chinese authorities on December 10 for allegedly endangering China’s national security.

Spavor, a businessman based in the city of Dandong in Liaoning province on the border with North Korea, was also held over similar allegations.