China charges two detained Canadians with alleged espionage

FILE PHOTO: People hold signs calling for China to release Canadian detainees Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig during an extradition hearing for Huawei Technologies Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou at the B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, March 6, 2019. REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson

Chinese prosecutors said on Friday they have charged two detained Canadians for alleged espionage, in a case that has driven a diplomatic wedge between Ottawa and Beijing.

Former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor were arrested in late 2018 on state security charges, after Canadian authorities arrested Huawei Technologies Co’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, in Vancouver on a U.S. warrant.