DANDONG, China — The trial of Canadian citizen Michael Spavor, detained by China since late 2018 on suspicion of espionage, ended on Friday after closed-court hearing of around two hours, in a case embroiled in a wider diplomatic spat between Washington and Beijing.
Spavor and his lawyer appeared for the hearing and the court will later set a date to issue a verdict, the Dandong Intermediate People’s Court said in a statement on its website.
Chinese courts have a conviction rate of over 99%.
The 45-year-old Canadian businessman was not seen outside the court and there was no word on his condition.
China arrested Spavor and fellow Canadian Michael Kovrig in December 2018…
Keep on reading: China concludes espionage trial of Canadian Spavor behind closed doors