China, free Michael Kovrig

Chinese security officers detained Michael Kovrig, our North East Asia Advisor, on 10 December in Beijing. The arrest is unjust, and as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said, it is arbitrary and unacceptable. International Crisis Group calls on China to free Michael immediately.

A former Canadian diplomat who works full-time for us, Michael has not been allowed to see a lawyer or anyone in his family. He only has periodic consular visits. We are deeply concerned for his health and well-being in detention.

Michael has not been charged with any offense. We do not understand the unspecified allegations that he has “endangered Chinese security”.  Michael’s work has included meeting several dozen times over the past two years with Chinese officials, academics and analysts from multiple Chinese state institutions. He has attended numerous conferences at the invitation of Chinese organisations. He frequently appears on Chinese television and in other media to comment on regional issues.

Nothing Michael does has harmed China. On the contrary, Crisis Group’s work aims to defuse any tensions between China and nearby states, and to give a fresh, independent appraisal of China’s growing role in the world. Michael’s arrest is all the more perplexing to Crisis Group since it comes after a decade of good and productive engagement with the Chinese authorities.

康明凯的个人简介及与其被捕的相关信息

请点击该链接获取有关康明凯的中文信息，其中包括：康明凯个人简介、其在国际预防危机组织职务介绍、以及国际社会各界对他于12月10日在北京被拘一事的反映。

Many governments voice concern

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the detention “arbitrary” and “not acceptable”, while Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said her country is “deeply concerned”. The U.S. State Department called for Michael’s “immediate release”, while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said “the unlawful detention … is unacceptable”.

Germany’s Federal Foreign Office spokesperson said Berlin is “very concerned that the [detention] may be politically motivated”, as did British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who added a call for Michael “to be treated in a fair, unbiased and transparent manner”. Netherlands said it was “concerned about the declared motive for the arrest”. In Brussels, the European Union spokesperson said “the arrest … raises concerns about legitimate research and business practices in China”. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Denmark all expressed support for the EU position. Spain said it supports the Canadian government’s efforts to ensure Michael will receive fair and impartial treatment.

Marise Payne, the Foreign Minister of Australia, said she was “concerned about the recent detention” by China and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France said “nous sommes préoccupés”.

Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), called on Beijing to address Canada’s concerns. He said “NATO is founded on some core values - democracy, individual liberty and rule of law. And that is also why we follow this case with such great concern.” Stoltenberg added “NATO expects that its citizens are treated fairly and with respect for due process.”

Michael’s role at Crisis Group

Michael Kovrig joined Crisis Group in February 2017. As Senior Adviser for North East Asia he conducts research and provides analysis on foreign affairs and global security issues in North East Asia, particularly on China, Japan and the Korean peninsula.

Our focus is on Chinese foreign policy and understanding its regional and global role. All of our research is publicly available on our website.

Lately, Michael has contributed to our research on conflict prevention on the Korean peninsula, with a focus on Chinese ideas for de-escalating tensions between Washington and Pyongyang. He also contributed to our analysis of the conflict in South Sudan and the role played by China in mediation there.

Michael is a lead contributor to much of the work related to China that is available at our China website page.

Michael’s professional background

Michael Kovrig previously worked for more than a decade as a Canadian diplomat in Beijing, Hong Kong and at the UN in New York. Altogether he has worked in twenty countries, including for four years with the UN Development Program in New York and in Kabul, Afghanistan. He also served as a China analyst at Rhodium Group.

A Mandarin Chinese speaker, Michael has a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University.

A chilling message to China researchers

Michael is widely known to the China expert community. As Ken Roth, President of Human Rights Watch, points out: “Michael Kovrig … is a respected @CrisisGroup analyst”.

More than 220 statesmen, politicians, ex-diplomats, academics and directors of research centres from 19 countries published a call in Canada’s Globe & Mail for China’s President Xi to free Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, a Canadian also detained in early December. The letter is open for signature in English and Chinese here, and says in part:

“Many of us know Michael Kovrig through his work as a diplomat in Beijing and as the senior expert for Northeast Asia at the International Crisis Group, an organization whose mission is to “build a more peaceful world.” In both roles, Mr. Kovrig regularly and openly met with Chinese officials, researchers and scholars to better understand China’s positions on a range of important international issues...

“These meetings and exchanges are the foundation of serious research and diplomacy around the world, including for Chinese scholars and diplomats. However, Mr. Kovrig’s and Mr. Spavor’s detentions send a message that this kind of constructive work is unwelcome and even risky in China. We who share Mr. Kovrig’s and Mr. Spavor’s enthusiasm for building genuine, productive and lasting relationships must now be more cautious about travelling and working in China and engaging our Chinese counterparts. That will lead to less dialogue and greater distrust, and undermine efforts to manage disagreements and identify common ground. Both China and the rest of the world will be worse off as a result.”

Fifteen leaders of U.S. foreign policy think tanks, independent advocacy organisations and academic research institutions have issued a joint statement on 10 March calling for Kovrig's immediate release. “We are particularly concerned by the detention of one of our colleagues … Michael's arrest has a chilling effect on all those who are committed to advance constructive U.S.-China relations”, said the signatories of the statement/.

Crisis Group’s President and CEO, Robert Malley, added: “We are extremely grateful and heartened by the support shown by the prominent signatories from the research community and by the fact that they have come together as one on this issue. Many members of that community wish to constructively engage with China. Michael's arbitrary detention can only scare them away".

Another open letter by 60 Australian scholars and analysts asked “the Australian Government without further delay to support Canada’s call for the immediate release of these two detainees… in view of the risks this raises to Australian research and business activities”.

The directors of six Berlin-based policy institutions said in a joint statement that “developments such as these increase uncertainty and distrust among foreign scholars who regularly conduct research within China, as they fear for their safety. This will clearly undermine efforts to better understand developments in China and to further constructive relations between China and other countries”.

Editorials and opinion pieces about Michael’s arrest

“China’s Canadian Hostages”, The New York Times, Editorial

“China is holding two Canadians as hostages. It’s not even denying it”, Washington Post, Editorial

"China believes Canada's Huawei case is political. Trump does nothing but confirm it." Washington Post, Editorial

"Don’t Let China Take the World Hostage," By Hal Brands, Bloomberg Opinion

"China’s tit-for-tat detention of two Canadians is a test. The world will judge Beijing on its treatment of the men seized after Huawei CFO arrest", The Financial Times, op-ed by Mark Malloch-Brown

“The Guardian view on China and the US: unlucky Canada is taking the hit”, The Guardian, Editorial

“The Chinese government needs friends – people who are a lot like the Canadians it has detained”, The Globe and Mail, op-ed by Frank Giustra

“China Doesn’t Have to Keep Playing the Victim”, Foreign Policy

“China should worry less about old enemies, more about ex-friends”, The Economist

"China-based diplomats warn case of detained Canadians Kovrig and Spavor is ‘Sword of Damocles’ hanging over their heads", South China Morning Post

"U.S. think tank leaders urge China to release Canadian researcher, citing threat to ties", The Washington Post

“Think-tank employee detention unnerves foreign NGOs in China”, Reuters

“‘No coincidence’: China’s detention of Canadian seen as retaliation for Huawei arrest”, The Wall Street Journal

“Trudeau, Freeland held 19 high-level international talks with allies on China dispute”, CBC News

Areas of Expertise

• China
• South China Sea
• North East Asia Security
• United Nations
• Global Governance
• Multilateral Diplomacy

Languages

• English
• French
• Mandarin Chinese