Espionage trial starts behind closed doors for 2nd Canadian detained in China

Michael Kovrig is a diplomat on whom China has put the allegation of being a state secret. If the activities of Chinese individual are raised then, many countries can arrest Chinese individual like UK, US, Afghanistan, India, Japan etc. At last, the only solution is those countries who are facing problems because of the activities must boycott the common enemy.

The CCP subservient Canadian government will do nothing, and the newly established CCP friendly swamp government in the US is indifferent. It is what it is.

So, he should be called an employee of ICG, an intelligence gathering organization, not as a former diplomat.

No. He is a former Canadian diplomat. Who he works for after his stint in their foreign ministry doesn't change that. Mr. Kovrig represented Canada in Beijing, Hong Kong and the UN. ICG isn't an intelligence gathering organization unless you consider any kind of academic social, economic or political research to be "intelligence gathering". They are much like the Brookings Institute or Heritage Foundation but have people in various nations so their are right there seeing what they research and write about. My point is that the CCP often distorts journalism and legitimate research as somehow a threat to them and thus "spying". They don't accept notions of press or academic freedom. NGOs like ICG are a seen as a particular threat because they are not controlled by Beijing.

@Desert Tortoise

So, he should be called an employee of ICG, an intelligence gathering organization, not as a former diplomat.

Why is Kovrig always described as a "former diplomat," and the job he had at the time of his detainment never mentioned? That is curious, its almost as if nobody wants the public to know that he was employed by a Soros founded, western government funded private intelligence gathering agency.

Michael Kovrig was employed by the International Crisis Group at the time of his arrest.  Crisis Group receives funding from government grants, charitable foundations, private companies and individual donors. For the financial year ending June 30, 2019, it received 43% of its funding from governments, 31% from foundations, 22% from the private sector, 2% from in-kind contributions and 2% from investment income. They differ from conventional think tanks in that they maintain a permanent field presence around the world. See, no big secret, no grand conspiracy. But for the CCP, something as innocent as observing and maybe photographing their police or conducting research on just about any subject could be conflated into spying,

Since the CCP runs the courts there they have already determined the guilt and punishment for both of the Canadians. There is no justice in China, just Communist commands to find someone guilty and tell the Judges what sentence to make.

Nothing happens in China without the approval of the CCP and no business in China can defy the CCP in any request/order. Like Huawei being told to spy on other nations through their communications equipment, or even to shut them down in the event of hostilities. This is why nobody trusts doing business in sensitive areas with Chinese owned companies. Failure to comply means owners/employees and their families get punished or just disappear. It is what the world has come to.

Nice, make it a double.

Less than 3 days ago, one of the many JT "experts" wrote and I quote:

"…and no Japanese person will admit their legal system is worse than China's"

You have to love some of these immigrants; Japan is properly doomed with these lots around.

The Canadian public can be pretty naive. Of the thousands of Canadians who visit China for work and pleasure, why these 2 guys? It is not beyond the realm of possibilities that they may have been up to no good.

Yes, I'm sure the timing of the Meng Wanzhou arrest had nothing to do with it whatsoever. China is always a bastion of truth and integrity.

Someone is naive..

The Canadian public can be pretty naive. Of the thousands of Canadians who visit China for work and pleasure, why these 2 guys? It is not beyond the realm of possibilities that they may have been up to no good.

As far as Spavor, described as a businessman, he was a businessman in North Korea, a personal friend of Kim and was the guy who unfurled the North Korean flag during the winter Olympics in South Korea. He could come and go from North Korea, no questions ask. "Nobody" just comes and goes from North Korea. Sorry, anyone working for vicious dictators get no sympathy from me. Any Canadian who was helping North Korea, can rot in a Chinese jail for decades and it will not concern me.

Why is Kovrig always described as a "former diplomat," and the job he had at the time of his detainment never mentioned? That is curious, its almost as if nobody wants the public to know that he was employed by a Soros founded, western government funded private intelligence gathering agency.

Both of them could certainly be innocent lambs, I don't know, but it is certainly possible that both of them were up to no good.

Assange was a puppet of Russia.

Meng Wanzhou either did it or oversaw the support of technology transfers to Iran. She wasn't working for Huawei when she allegedly performed these tasks. High risk, high reward, but she was caught lying by the banks. What's worse is Meng will probably have a shorter sentence in US prison, "Club Fed", than she's already spent trying to avoid it.

The 2 Canadians were businessmen, former known diplomats, in the wrong country, at the wrong time for small minded CCP leaders. It is unfortunate for them and their families. When Xi retires or gets ousted, they will be released/deported as an international gesture.

The same reason Assange is in London - the US likes to outsource their dirty work to their loyal servants

US authorities want her extradited of course. There is still the rule of law in Canada and her lawyers are fighting it.

Yes, why is she still in Canada? An extradition hearing should be a relatively simple affair

The same reason Assange is in London - the US likes to outsource their dirty work to their loyal servants. These 2 unfortunate Canadians are paying the price. At least China does the dirty deed themselves.

The ruling party in China is a threat to the world, its not the citizens of China its Xi and his cronies, murders thieves and they have no regards for human life just human control.

“Beijing has insisted the detention of the two Canadians is lawful, while calling Meng's case "a purely political incident".

Yeah right, more like the other way around.

Whats worse is the Canadian Ambassador Dominic Barton, as of 10 hrs ago in any case, had NOT shown up outside the courthouse in support of Kovrig.

Diplomats from the US, UK, Netherlands, Estonia, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Australia, Germany, France, Switzerland, the EU, Czech Republic, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Spain, Austria, Norway, Lithuania, New Zealand, Belgium and Romania were there in support.

The Canadian gov't is rife with politicians and diplomatic staff who are compromised by China. Trudeau famously said he "admired" the CCP.

The trial of Michael Kovrig, the second of two Canadians detained in China for more than two years, is underway in Beijing in a closed courtroom, a senior Canadian diplomat said Monday.

China arrested Kovrig, a former diplomat, and fellow Canadian Michael Spavor in December 2018, soon after Canadian police detained Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese tech company Huawei, on a U.S. warrant.

https://worldabcnews.com/canadian-michael-kovrig-accused-by-china-of-spying-goes-on-trial-in-beijing/

Does anyone think that this Canadian is guilty of actually trying to spy on China???

Xi loses face with this sort of nonsense, but as an absolute ruler, no one dares to tell him how foolish he looks.

For myself and family and my friends, we have all decided to never ever again go to China or Hong Kong.

Sure is scary

What an absolute farce of a judicial system China has.

Stay away from China, the danger of being locked up on trumped up charges is ever present.

No longer our friend

You expect a trial regarding spies and spying to be in an open court room? LOL...

Enter china at your own peril, anyone who values freedom and democracy should leave the place now if they have a chance.

If you are not there at the moment dont go !

Yes, why is she still in Canada? An extradition hearing should be a relatively simple affair, isn't it up to the Americans to prove her guilt?

She's been at home (in a very large mansion) on bail while she exercises her rights under Canadian law to contest the extradition. It should be a simple affair, but she keeps appealing the extradition, which is her right. If she loses, she will be sent to trial in the U.S. where she will also have rights.

These Canadian men were afforded absolutely no rights.

It shows how dangerous China is to foreigners.

If Biden wants to look tough on the Chinese, then give him a shot.

Biden will have nothing to do with the trial and will not interfere with the proceedings.

The Department of State in conjunction with the Department of Justice requested extradition before Biden became president. Assuming she is extradited, DOJ prosecutors have to present the case in front of a federal judge, and she will have ample opportunity to defend herself and hire legal counsel. She has more rights and more opportunities to defend herself than any person in China.

jaybeebToday  03:24 pm JST

Yes, why is she still in Canada? An extradition hearing should be a relatively simple affair, isn't it up to the Americans to prove her guilt?

That's not how extraditions work. She can't be "proven guilty" until she has a trial. Extraditions are based on the basis of the arrest warrant being comparable in both treaty countries.

She should be freed with $27m compensation.

You can only take a dice for the outcome here. There is no justice in China nor are there fair trials. And on the other side, yes, they grin a little bit too much, just like spies under diplomatic coverage, on the photographs... So we don’t know as much as before, nothing...lol

Agreed. Send her to the U.S.