Two Canadians freed in China’s ‘hostage diplomacy’

Two Canadians detained in 2018 and accused of spying in China were freed from harsh detention conditions and are heading back home Saturday, bringing an end to a bitter three-year diplomatic row.

Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was returning to Shenzhen from Vancouver on Saturday as the two Canadians -- Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig -- were released from prison after what analysts have called “hostage diplomacy.

Michael Spavor is a fluent Korean speaker whose relationships in Pyongyang go right to the top.

He focused on introducing foreign businesses to North Korea -- which is subject to multiple sets of sanctions over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes -- and is among only a handful of Westerners who met Kim Jong Un after the leader inherited power in 2011.

Spavor has been pictured sitting next to Kim, sharing cigarettes and cocktails, aboard the North Korean leader’s private yacht.

For years Spavor, now in his forties, was based in the Chinese city of Dandong, on the border with North Korea.

He was detained in 2018 and Chinese prosecutors later charged him with “espionage and illegally providing state secrets (to third parties).”

He told AFP before his detention that he was getting enquiries from investors interested in market research and “face-to-face matchmaking with potential DPRK ministries and future partners” for when sanctions are lifted.

Hailing from Calgary, Alberta, Spavor first became intrigued by North Korea during a short stay in Seoul in the late 1990s. He also lived in Pyongyang in 2005 while working for a Canadian NGO.

He now speaks fluent Korean -- with a distinct northern accent.