A Chinese court, today sentenced Michael Spavor, a Canadian businessman, to 11 years in jail after finding him guilty of espionage which will widen a rift with Canada.
Canada, on the other hand, has condemned the case as political hostage-taking. The case is widely seen as retaliation for Canada's detention of a top Huawei executive wanted by the US.
Spavor was sentenced to jail for espionage and transferring state secrets overseas, according to the Dandong City Intermediate People's Court. The trial took place in March, but the decision was not made public until today, as Huawei's top financial officer Meng Wanzhou's extradition hearing in Canada approaches a critical stage.
Mr Spavor has the right to appeal the judgment, but Chinese courts seldom overturn criminal convictions, and his fate might hinge on a compromise between Beijing, Ottawa, and Washington at a time when Beijing's ties with Western countries are extremely frayed.
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Spavor and former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig were imprisoned in China at the end of 2018, only days after Meng was arrested in Canada on fraud charges related to Huawei's operations in Iran at the request of the US. The cases of the "Two Michaels" (as they're known in Canada) and Meng have strained relations between Ottawa and Beijing substantially.
In a statement, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today described Spavor's sentencing as "absolutely unacceptable and unjust” and called for his immediate release.
"The verdict for Mr Spavor comes after more than two and a half years of arbitrary detention, a lack of transparency in the legal process, and a trial that did not satisfy even the minimum standards required by international law," said PM Trudeau.