China: Canadians Kovrig and Spavor 'tried for spying'

China says it has conducted trials for two Canadians it has accused of spying.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig were indicted on suspicion of endangering China's national security.

The ministry did not indicate whether a verdict had been given in either case.

The pair were arrested in China two years ago, shortly after Canada detained Meng Wanzhou, a senior executive at Chinese tech giant Huawei, following a request by the US.

Ms Meng has been under house arrest in her two Vancouver homes, and is fighting extradition to America. She is charged with lying to American banks about Huawei's alleged dealings with Iran, in violation of US sanctions.

Meanwhile Mr Kovrig - a former diplomat - and businessman Mr Spavor have been held with no access to outside lawyers. They have also had limited opportunities to speak with consular officials or their families.

On Thursday, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman said the two men had been "arrested, indicted and tried", in what appeared to be the first public mention that the two men had been put on trial.

The BBC understands that Canadian diplomats in China are seeking official clarification from the government in Beijing, because they have not been able to confirm with court authorities that a trial has taken place.

On 1 December, the spokeswoman had also said that the authorities had "put them on trial" - but Chinese courts later confirmed that their trials had not taken place, a diplomatic source told the Globe and Mail.

Both men were arrested on 10 December 2018 and interrogated for months before being taken to formal detention facilities. Neither were formally charged until June this year, but could face lengthy prison terms if found guilty.

On Tuesday Ottawa's ambassador to Beijing, Dominic Barton, said both men were in good physical and mental condition, despite their hardship.

Mr Kovrig's employer, Crisis Group, released a statement earlier this week to mark the two-year anniversary of his arrest. The thinktank said it was perplexed by his detention "since it came after a decade of good and productive engagement with the Chinese authorities."

According to Crisis Group, Mr Kovrig had frequently met Chinese officials, spoke at conferences and appeared on Chinese media to comment on regional issues.

Over $28,000 has been raised by a crowdfunding campaign in support of Mr Spavor, who has deep ties with North Korea.

He is a founding member of the Paektu Cultural Exchange, an organisation which facilitates international business and cultural ties with the secretive communist country.

Mr Spavor is only one of a handful of Westerners to have met Kim Jong-un, and helped to arrange a meeting between the North Korean leader and former basketball star Dennis Rodman in 2013.

China has previously denied that their cases are connected to Ms Meng's detention, but it has consistently linked them to its demands that she be released.