The diplomatic crisis between Beijing and Ottawa continues, as just one day after the death sentence was issued against Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, who was convicted on drug charges, a Chinese court sentenced Canadian businessman Michael Spavor to imprisonment for espionage. A statement issued by the People's Court in the Chinese city of Dandong on Wednesday noted that Spavor was found guilty of espionage and illegally disclosing state secrets, and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
**Mutual Accusations**
Spavor was arrested alongside his fellow Canadian Michael Kovrig in 2018 in China following the arrest of Huawei's Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou in Canada under a U.S. extradition request, which led Ottawa to believe that political motives were behind the detention of its citizens. Additionally, relations between the two countries have deteriorated significantly, with Beijing accusing Canada of politicizing legal cases.
**Death Sentence for Another Canadian**
A Chinese court also upheld a death sentence against another Canadian, Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, who was convicted of drug trafficking and had originally received a 15-year prison sentence before Meng’s arrest. The court found him guilty along with others of smuggling over 220 kilograms of methamphetamine. Meanwhile, human rights advocates have stated that China executes prisoners more than any other country each year, although the execution of Westerners remains rare.
**Huawei's CFO**
This development comes a week after the latest round of Meng's legal battle in Canada regarding her extradition to the United States. The hearings are scheduled to conclude on August 20, but a decision on her extradition is not expected for months. Meng Wanzhou, 49, was arrested on December 1, 2018, at Vancouver Airport at the request of the Americans, who want to prosecute her for bank fraud. Shortly after her arrest, China detained Canadian citizens Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. The Canadian Prime Minister viewed their arrests as retaliatory, an assertion denied by Beijing. The two men were tried for "espionage" last spring in closed sessions.
