Canadian officials are “sparing no effort” to find out what has happened with a former Canadian diplomat and an expert on North East Asia for International Crisis Group, who was arrested in China, Canadian officials said Tuesday.
“Obviously, obviously we are aware of the situation of the Canadian detained in China,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in brief comments on his way to question period in the House of Commons.
“We have been in direct contact with the Chinese diplomats and representatives. We are engaged in a file which we take very seriously and we are of course providing consular assistance to the family.”
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said the federal government is “deeply concerned” by the arrest of Michael Kovrig.
ListenGuillaume Bérubé, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, said the government is “seized with this case and will continue to speak with the Chinese government.”
Chinese retaliation?
Meng Wanzhou, Executive Board Director of the Chinese technology giant Huawei, attends a session of the VTB Capital Investment Forum “Russia Calling!” in Moscow, Russia October 2, 2014. (Alexander Bibik/REUTERS)
Kovrig’s arrest comes after Canadian authorities arrested on Dec. 1 a top executive of Chinese telecom giant Huawei at the request of U.S. authorities.
It was not clear whether the two cases were connected, but Kovrig’s arrest came after Chinese authorities warned Canada of “grave consequences” if Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s chief financial officer, is not released immediately.
Meng, 46, who is also deputy chair of Huawei’s board and the daughter of founder Ren Zhengfei, could face extradition to the U.S. over allegations she was involved in violating sanctions on Iran, with each charge carrying a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
Meng, who was arrested in Vancouver, is in court fighting to be released on bail while her extradition hearing winds down the Canadian court system.
Goodale declined to say whether the government believes Kovrig’s arrest was a tit-for-tat retaliation by Beijing for Meng’s arrest.
“We’re obviously worried about whenever a Canadian is put in a situation that puts them at some risk or jeopardy, where’s there’s no apparent or obvious cause or trigger for that,” he said.
“So, before we characterize it, we want to make sure we get all the facts. But at the same time we are sparing no effort to do everything we possibly can to look after his safety.”
In a later interview on CBC’s current affairs TV show Power & Politics, Goodale admitted that Canadian officials don’t know where Kovrig is being held and what is his condition.
The International Crisis Group said in a statement that it is aware of reports that Kovrig has been detained in China.
“We are doing everything possible to secure additional information on Michael’s whereabouts as well as his prompt and safe release,” the international think-tank said in a statement.
Distinguished diplomatic career
Kovrig had previously worked as a Canadian diplomat in Beijing, Hong Kong and at the UN headquarters in New York before joining Crisis Group in February 2017 as senior adviser for North East Asia.
His research and analysis focused on foreign affairs and global security issues in North East Asia, particularly on China, Japan and the Korean peninsula, according to Crisis Group.
According to his Linkedin profile, Kovrig, who is fluent in Mandarin, held senior positions at the Canadian embassy in Beijing and the consulate in Hong Kong from 2014 to 2016 and “served as political lead on the successful visit of Prime Minster Trudeau to Hong Kong in September 2016.”
He was also assistant deputy director and program head at the International Security Branch at Global Affairs Canada in 2012.
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