Two Canadians held in China have officially been charged with spying

Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, two Canadians detained in China in December 2018, have been formally charged with spying by Chinese prosecutors, in a move that is likely to raise tensions between the two countries. The People's Procuratorate of Beijing Municipality filed a prosecution against Kovrig on Friday for "for spying on state secrets and intelligence." The People's Procuratorate of Dandong also filed a public prosecution against Spavor for "spying on and illegally providing state secrets."

Both men were detained in the weeks following the arrest in Vancouver of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of the Chinese technology company Huawei in late 2018, on charges filed in the United States. US prosecutors want Meng to stand trial on multiple charges, including bank fraud and violating US sanctions against Iran.

Late last month, a Canadian judge ruled the extradition case against her could proceed, in what China's representatives to the country called a "grave political incident."
Speaking at a regular press conference Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the evidence against the two Canadians was "solid."

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