China has released two Canadian men, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, who were detained on espionage charges in 2018, shortly after Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou left Canada following a deal with US prosecutors. The releases mark a potential end to a diplomatic row between China and Western nations.
Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei and daughter of founder Ren Zhengfei, was arrested in Canada in 2018 on a US warrant for allegedly misleading banks about Huawei's business dealings in Iran. She spent three years under house arrest before reaching a deferred prosecution agreement with US prosecutors, admitting to misleading HSBC. She returned to China on Friday.
Hours after Meng's release, China announced that Spavor and Kovrig were flying home to Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the men had endured “an unbelievably difficult ordeal” and praised their resilience. Both men maintained their innocence throughout their detention.
China has denied that the Canadians were held as bargaining chips, but critics argue their release so soon after Meng's suggests a direct link. Spavor, a businessman with ties to North Korea, was sentenced to 11 years in prison in August 2021. Kovrig, a former diplomat, had not yet faced a verdict.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed the release but described the men's detention as “arbitrary”. Meng, in a statement, thanked the Chinese Communist Party and the “motherland”. Huawei said it looked forward to her reunion with her family.
