- U.S. official voices concern over the fate of two Canadians being tried in Chinese courts.
- The U.S. called for the Canadians to have access to consular officials and for the Chinese to be more transparent.
- In court, Canadian Michael Spavor was charged with “spying and illegal provision of state secrets abroad”.
WASHINGTON D.C.: U.S. officials voiced concern on Tuesday over the fate of two Canadians being tried in Chinese courts.
The U.S. called for the Canadians to have access to consular officials and for the Chinese to be more transparent in conducting the trials.
“We remain deeply troubled by the lack of transparency surrounding the legal proceedings of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, and join Canada in calling for continued consular access, in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations,” U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
Two years ago, China arrested Canadians Michael Spavor, a business man, and former diplomat Michael Kovrig.
The arrests came just days after Canada detained Meng Wanzhou, a senior executive at Chinese tech giant Huawei, who was sought on a US warrant.
The arrests of the Canadians has prompted officials to say China is conducting “hostage diplomacy”.
Beijing has said the cases are not linked.
On Friday, in the Chinese city of Dandong, Spavor’s trial lasted two hours, which is not unusual in China.
In court, Spavor was charged with “spying and illegal provision of state secrets abroad”.
At the court house, a group of foreign diplomats gathered, after being denied entry, including the charge d’affaires of the Canadian embassy in China, Jim Nickel, who told reporters that their not being allowed to observe the proceedings was a breach of international law.
Canadian diplomats were also denied access to Spavor before his trial.
