China will "soon" hold its first trial for Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, who have been held in China since late 2018 and who were formally charged with espionage in June 2020.
The two men were arrested in December 2018 shortly after Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada on a U.S. warrant. She faces charges of misleading HSBC Holdings Plc about the Chinese tech giant's business dealings with Iran, which is under U.S. sanctions.
Canada and the United States have repeatedly demanded that China release Kovrig and Spavor, with Ottawa calling their arrest an act of "hostage diplomacy".
Beijing has repeatedly denied accusations that the two Canadians' arrest was linked to Meng's arrest in Canada, however, and said the two men will be tried in accordance with Chinese law.
