China accuses detained Canadians of spying

Chinese authorities on Monday accused two detained Canadians of spying as tensions between the two nations grow over the possible extradition of a Huawei executive to the US.

Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat, and Michael Spavor, a businessman, were detained in December after Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada on suspicion of fraud and breaching sanctions on Iran.

China had condemned Meng's arrest and the diplomatic spat hurt Canada-China relations. The arrest of the two Canadians was seen as Beijing's retaliation. Meng has sued Canada over her arrest, which was made at the request of the US.

Canada said China had not made a specific link between the detentions and Meng's arrest, but experts and former diplomats said Beijing was using their detentions as a way to put pressure on Canada.

Chinese authorities said Kovrig was passed intelligence by Spavor, according to a statement released on Monday by the Chinese Communist party's central political and legal affairs commission.

Spavor has also been in detention since December.

Kovrig had often entered China using an ordinary passport and business visas, "stealing and spying on sensitive Chinese information and intelligence via a contact in China," it said.

"Kovrig's actions, suspected of stealing, spying on state secrets and intelligence, have seriously violated Chinese law," the commission said. It described Spavor as his "main contact", the Global Times reported.

The Chinese state media said Spavor "had provided intelligence to Kovrig and was an important intelligence contact of (his)".

Meanwhile, Canada's Justice Department on Friday approved the beginning of extradition proceedings for Meng who is on bail and denies the charges against her.

In her lawsuit, Meng sought damages against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the federal government for allegedly breaching her civil rights under Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Her detention was "unlawful" and "arbitrary", the suit said, and officers "intentionally failed to advise her of the true reasons for her detention, her right to counsel, and her right to silence".