Canada believes a man missing in China may have become collateral damage in a growing diplomatic spat between the two countries
ADVERTISEMENT
Canada fears a second of its citizens has been detained in China amid a diplomatic row between the two countries.
Michael Spavor, a consultant in Chinese and North Korean trade, has been missing since he last made contact with Canadian officials. It comes just days after China detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig on suspicion of what Chinese media described as "endangering state security"
Canada's foreign minister, Chrystia Freeland, says she has raised the case with Chinese authorities:
"We are very personally concerned about Mr. Kovrig. We have expressed that concern directly to Chinese authorities and we are in direct personal contact with his family. We are very seized of this issue, and we're going to keep on working on it," she said.
Kovrig's detention follows the arrest, at Washington's request, of Meng Wangzhou, a top executive with Chinese telecoms giant Huawei. The US claims Wangzhou misled multinational banks about transactions linked to Iran.
**More about Spavor and Kovrig: **