Canadian man found guilty of spying in China sentenced to 11 years

Canadian businessman Michael Spavor has been sentenced to 11 years in prison over a spying case linked to Chinese company Huawei.

Spavor was detained by Chinese authorities in 2018 after the Canadian government arrested an executive of the Chinese tech giant.

The verdict on Wednesday (11 August) is the latest indication of how China is stepping up pressure on Canada ahead of a court ruling on whether to hand over the executive, Meng Wanzhou, to face criminal charges in the US.

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau has criticised the country for convicting the businessman, calling his sentencing “absolutely unacceptable and unjust”.