"Pressure to Release Huawei Vice Chairman"... Chinese Court Sentences Canadian to 11 Years

Meng Wanzhou, Vice Chairwoman of Huawei [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] A Chinese court has sentenced a Canadian businessman involved in North Korea-related projects, who was detained by Chinese authorities on espionage charges, to 11 years in prison.

Previously, after Canadian authorities arrested Meng Wanzhou, vice-chairwoman of the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei, Chinese courts handed down death sentences to Canadians in succession. In contrast, the court’s decision to impose a prison sentence this time is analyzed as a 'pressure' measure demanding Meng’s release from Canada.

According to the website of the Intermediate People's Court of Dandong City, Liaoning Province, China, on the 11th, the court recognized the charges against Canadian businessman Michael Spavor of "spying for a foreign country and illegally providing state secrets" and sentenced him to 11 years in prison.

The court also announced the confiscation of Spavor’s assets amounting to 50,000 yuan (approximately 8.9 million KRW) and stated that he would be deported abroad.

However, the court did not specify the timing of the deportation. According to sources, "Deportation usually occurs after serving the sentence, but in special cases, it may happen earlier."

Spavor is known for arranging former U.S. basketball player Dennis Rodman’s visits to North Korea and has met with Kim Jong-un, the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea.

He was arrested and detained by Chinese authorities along with former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig nine days after Canada arrested Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou in December 2018.

This has led to speculation that China retaliated after Canada, at the request of the U.S., arrested Meng on charges of violating Iran sanctions.

This ruling came as the Canadian court is scheduled to hold a final hearing within weeks on whether to extradite Meng to the United States, and it is seen as pressure from China demanding Meng’s release.

Following the verdict against Spavor, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned it on Twitter as "unacceptable and unjust."

On the previous day, China upheld the death sentence in the appeal trial of Canadian Robert Schellenberg, who was charged with smuggling 222 kg of methamphetamine.

Schellenberg was initially sentenced to 15 years in prison in November 2018, but after Meng’s arrest, a retrial resulted in a death sentence.

Bloomberg News reported that the Chinese Communist Party interprets Meng’s arrest as "an act motivated by political reasons aimed at attacking its domestic technology companies."

In fact, the Chinese government has continuously demanded Meng’s release from Canada. According to The Globe and Mail, in June, the Canadian and U.S. governments reportedly discussed the possibility of exchanging detained Canadians in China for Meng.

Regarding this, the Canadian ambassador to China stated, "What can be said at this moment is that close consultations between the parties are ongoing to secure the release of Canadians charged by Chinese authorities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.