A former Canadian diplomat has been detained in China, and his current employer, the International Crisis Group, said it is seeking his prompt and safe release.
Michael Kovrig’s detention comes after police in Canada arrested Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, on 1 December at the request of US authorities, a move that infuriated Beijing.
“We are aware of the situation of a Canadian detained in China,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, adding to concerns voiced by the International Crisis Group think tank, Korvig’s employer, which first raised the alarm.
It was not immediately clear if the cases were related, but the arrest of Huawei’s CFO in Vancouver has stoked fears of reprisals against the foreign business community in China.
Ralph Goodale, the public safety minister,
said there was “no explicit indication at this moment” that the Canadian’s detention was linked to Meng’s arrest.
News of Kovrig’s detention on Tuesday came hours before Meng was due back in court on the third day of a bail hearing in Vancouver
The US state department also voiced concern. “The United States is concerned by these reports that a Canadian citizen has been detained in China. We’ve urged China to end all forms of arbitrary detention and to respect the protections and freedoms of all individuals under China’s international human rights and consular commitments,” said spokesman Robert Palladino.
China’s foreign ministry and ministry of public security did not respond immediately to questions faxed earlier about Kovrig’s detention.
The exact reason for the detention was not immediately clear.
The Canadian embassy declined to comment, referring queries to Ottawa.
Calls to Kovrig’s phones were not answered.
Kovrig, a Mandarin speaker, has been working as a full-time expert for the International Crisis Group since February 2017.
From 2003 to 2016, he worked as a diplomat with stints in Beijing and Hong Kong, among others, according to his profile on LinkedIn.
