A former Canadian diplomat now working for the International Crisis Group is missing in China, news that could further complicate an already tense diplomatic standoff over the arrest of a senior Chinese tech executive in Vancouver last week.
News of Michael Kovrig’s disappearance comes just hours before a Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer for Huawei Technologies, is due to appear in court for a bail hearing on U.S. charges related to alleged Iran sanctions violations.
Since her Dec. 1 arrest at Vancouver’s airport, Canadian authorities have stressed that her arrest is a legal, not a political matter. But China sees her arrest as a U.S. bid to gain trade war leverage and has warned of “severe consequences” should she not be released.
Though it is not yet clear if there is any link between Meng’s case and Kovrig’s disappearance, the timing of his disappearance will no doubt complicate the standoff over the Huawei case.
Michael Kovrig is a former Canadian diplomat posted to Beijing. Since February 2017, he has been working for the International Crisis Group, covering security issues across northeast Asia. He frequently spoke to the media about his research, including The Washington Post.
His employer said it is looking into his disappearance. “International Crisis Group is aware of reports that its North East Asia Senior Adviser, Michael Kovrig, has been detained in China,” the think tank said in a statement.
Michael Kovrig of International Crisis Group (International Crisis Group/International Crisis Group)
“We are doing everything possible to secure additional information on Michael’s whereabouts as well as his prompt and safe release,” it added.
On Tuesday, Meng will ask a Canadian court to release her from jail so that she may await her extradition hearing in the comfort of one of her two multimillion-dollar homes, watched by a private security firm she will hire at her own expense and an electronic monitor.
Meng, 46, is requesting bail on grounds that she is in poor health and has close ties to Vancouver. Her lawyer suggested her husband could serve as her guarantor.
The Canadian judge on Monday questioned whether her husband would be an appropriate choice and raised questions about whether the electronic monitor could be hacked.
The hearing resumes on Tuesday.
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