Canadians detained in China to go on trial within days, embassy told

Name: Biden vows US help to free Canadians held in China after first bilateral meeting with Trudeau
Uploaded: 2021-03-17T22:09:26.000Z
Duration: 1 min 52 s
Description: Biden vows US help to free Canadians held in China after first bilateral meeting with Trudeau

Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig were arrested two years ago in apparent retaliation for the detention of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver

The Canadian embassy in Beijing has been notified that court hearings for the two men are expected to take place on Friday and Monday

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Protesters hold photos of Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, who are being detained by China, outside the British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver in March 2019. Photo: AFP

Associated Press

Published: 6:09am, 18 Mar 2021Updated: 6:09am, 18 Mar 2021

The Canadian government confirmed Wednesday that China will soon begin trials for two Canadians who were arrested two years ago in apparent retaliation for Canada’s detention of a senior executive for Chinese communications giant Huawei Technologies.

Foreign Minister Marc Garneau said the Canadian Embassy in Beijing has been notified that court hearings for Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig are expected to take place Friday and Monday.

“The arbitrary detention of Mr Kovrig and Mr Spavor is a top priority for the government of Canada and we continue to work tirelessly to secure their immediate release,” Garneau said in a statement.

“We believe these detentions are arbitrary, and remain deeply troubled by the lack of transparency surrounding these proceedings.

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Biden vows US help to free Canadians held in China after first bilateral meeting with Trudeau

The Global Times reported last week that the two men would “soon be tried” after they were charged with “crimes undermining China’s national security” in June 2020.