China court sentences Canadian Michael Spavor to 11 years in prison for spying

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Rebecca Falconer
·1 min read
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A court in Dandong, China, has announced it sentenced Canadian businessman Michael Spavor to 11 years in prison after finding him guilty of espionage.

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Why it matters: U.S. and Canadian experts have viewed the 2018 arrest and later charges of Spavor, along with and former diplomat Michael Kovrig as "direct retaliation" by the Chinese government for Canada's detention of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who's accused of violating U.S. sanctions on Iran.

  • The sentencing suggests that a Beijing court is set to find Kovrig guilty in his spying case.

  • It's also likely to increase already strained tensions between the governments of China and Canada.

Editor's note: This a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

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