Canada sentenced to 11 years in prison for spying in China

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Businessman Michael Spavor, who has been detained since December 2018, was convicted by a Dandong court.

A Chinese court on Wednesday found Canadian businessman Michael Spavor guilty of espionage and sentenced him to 11 years in prison. This decision may further damage the already bad relationship between China and Canada.

The Dandong Intermediate People’s Court said in a statement that Spavor, who does business in North Korea, was “convicted of espionage and illegally providing state secrets.”

“He was sentenced to 11 years in prison.”

The court stated that Spavor’s trial in March lasted more than two hours and that he would also be deported, but did not specify when.

Spavor was one of two Canadians detained in China in December 2018, when Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese telecom giant Huawei, in response to an extradition request from the United States.

Michael Kovrig, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, also faced espionage charges and was tried shortly after Spavor in March. He is still awaiting judgment.

Canada stated that the detention was related to Meng’s case, which China denied.

Canadian Ambassador to China Dominic Patton (middle) arrived at Dandong City Detention Center, where Canadian businessman Michael Spavor was detained on charges of espionage [Noel Celis/AFP]

Since their first detention, the two Canadians have actually been kept in solitary confinement. Due to the coronavirus, limited consular visits were stopped and did not resume until October, and neither of them was able to meet with lawyers or their families. At the same time, Meng was released on bail and lived in a mansion in Vancouver while her case entered court.

Spavor’s family said he was innocent of the allegations against him and that he did a lot of work as a businessman in “building constructive relations” between Canada, China and North Korea.

The verdict accompanied Meng’s case and ended on August 20.

Observers say that the possible verdicts and sentences of the two Canadians will follow Meng’s trial.

Lynette Ong, an associate professor at the University of Toronto, told AFP before making a decision: “If we think this is the beginning of the political negotiation process, the Chinese may want to show strength first.”

China’s courts are controlled by the Communist Party and the conviction rate is close to 100%.