Michael Kovrig’s work in China ‘legitimate’ despite new spy claims, former ambassador says
Retired envoy Guy Saint-Jacques said he’s deeply dismayed by spying allegations reportedly levelled by Michael Spavor against Michael Kovrig
Author of the article:Tom Blackwell
Published Nov 20, 2023
A former Canadian diplomat the Chinese government held in jail for almost three years was definitely not acting as a spy when he met with another Canadian also imprisoned by Beijing, says the ex-ambassador to China who hired diplomat Michael Kovrig.
一名被中国政府关押了近三年的前加拿大外交官，在与另一名同样被北京监禁的加拿大人会面时，绝对不是间谍行为，雇佣外交官康明凯的前驻华大使说。
What’s more, Canadian businessman Michael Spavor would have been under close watch by Beijing regardless of his contacts with Kovrig — because the Chinese were jealous of his tight relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, said retired envoy Guy Saint-Jacques Monday.
此外，退休前大使赵朴（Guy Saint-Jacques）周一表示，加拿大商人迈克尔·斯帕弗(Michael Spavor)无论与(Michael Kovrig)有多少接触，都会受到北京的密切监视，因为中国嫉妒他与朝鲜领导人金正恩的密切关系。
2012年至2016年担任加拿大驻华大使的赵朴表示，他对斯帕弗提出的指控深感失望，据《环球邮报》报道，斯帕弗正在要求联邦政府提供数百万元的赔偿方案。
Saint-Jacques, Canadian ambassador to China from 2012 to 2016, said he’s deeply dismayed by the allegations reportedly levelled by Spavor, who according to the Globe and Mail is demanding a multi-million-dollar compensation package from the federal government.
“康明凯的工作是完全公开、完全合法的，”他在接受采访时表示。“听了斯帕弗的话，我觉得这很令人困惑…… 不幸的是，斯帕弗和他的律师向政府施加了这种压力。”“The work of Michael Kovrig was completely open, completely legitimate,” he said in an interview. “Hearing what Spavor had to say, I find this baffling…. It’s unfortunate that Spavor and his lawyer are putting this kind of pressure on the government.”
Now, said Saint-Jacques, what he described as inaccurate information has played into China’s hands, giving them an excuse for what in fact were arbitrary, cruel detentions. In fact, in responding to the report, the Chinese embassy in Ottawa has already accused Canada of hypocrisy.
圣雅克说，现在，他所描述的不准确信息已经落入中国手中，为他们的任意、残酷拘留提供了借口。事实上，中国驻渥太华大使馆在回应该报道时已经指责加拿大虚伪。
Both men were seized by the Chinese days after Canada arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in 2018 under a U.S. extradition request. Many analysts say their detention was a form of hostage diplomacy or retribution. The “two Michaels” were held in spartan conditions for nearly three years, released in 2021 immediately after Meng — who lived on bail at one of her Vancouver mansions during the same period – was freed under a deal with American prosecutors.
2018年，加拿大根据美国的引渡请求逮捕了华为高管孟晚舟，几天后，这两个人都被中国抓获。许多分析人士表示，他们的拘留是人质外交或报复的一种形式。“两个迈克尔”在简陋的条件下被关押了近三年，孟晚舟根据与美国检察官达成的协议获释后立即于 2021 年获释。孟晚舟同一时期在温哥华的一处豪宅中保释。
According to the Globe report, attributed to two unnamed sources, Spavor is alleging that China arrested the pair because – unbeknownst to the businessman — Kovrig was acting as an intelligence operative, and his reports on their conversations ended up with intelligence agencies in Ottawa and Canada’s “five eyes” partners.
据《环球邮报》报道，两位未透露姓名的消息人士称，斯帕弗声称中国逮捕了这两人，因为——在这位商人不知情的情况下——康明凯是一名情报人员，他对他们谈话的报告最终被渥太华的情报机构和加拿大的“五眼”合作伙伴发现。
The story also mentioned that Kovrig was part of the foreign service’s Global Security Reporting Program (GSRP).
报道还提到康明凯是外交部全球安全报告计划（GSRP）的一部分。
But Saint-Jacques said there is an important difference between what Kovrig did and the work of spies, who use coercion, compromising information, money or other means to convince a source to provide information secretly.
但赵朴表示，康明凯的所作所为与间谍的工作有一个重要的区别，间谍的工作使用胁迫、泄露信息、金钱或其他手段来说服消息来源秘密提供信息。
Kovrig acted completely overtly and as a Mandarin-speaking Western diplomat would have been closely watched by the Chinese security services, his phones likely bugged and emails and texts monitored. “And Michael Kovrig was fully aware of this.”
康明凯的行为完全公开，作为一名讲普通话的西方外交官，他会受到中国安全部门的密切监视，他的电话可能会被窃听，电子邮件和短信也会受到监控。“康明凯完全意识到了这一点。”
Indeed, Saint-Jacques told National Post four years ago that Kovrig had met with Spavor a number of times — both as a Canadian diplomat and in his subsequent job with the International Crisis Group think tank – to discuss Spavor’s work in North Korea.
事实上，赵朴四年前告诉《国家邮报》，康明凯曾多次与斯帕弗会面——无论是作为加拿大外交官，还是在他随后在国际危机组织智囊团的工作中——讨论斯帕弗在朝鲜的工作。
In this 2014 photo released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency, Michael Spavor is shown behind North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. PHOTO BY KOREAN CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY
【在朝鲜官方朝中社发布的这张 2014 年照片中，迈克尔·斯帕弗 (Michael Spavor) 站在朝鲜领导人金正恩 (Kim Jong-un) 身后。 朝中社 摄】
Spavor also seemed transparent about their connections until shortly before the arrests. In 2018, he posted on his Facebook page a South China Morning Post article about trade with North Korea that quoted both men, highlighting Kovrig’s comments.
直到被捕前不久，斯帕弗对他们的关系似乎也是透明的。2018年，他在自己的Facebook页面上发布了《南华早报》一篇有关与朝鲜贸易的文章，其中引用了两人的言论，强调了康明凯的言论。
As for the GSRP, it is simply a branch of Global Affairs Canada that focuses political officers’ work on the issues of greatest importance to Canada, not an intelligence outfit, said Saint-Jacques.
赵朴表示，至于 GSRP，它只是加拿大全球事务部的一个分支机构，主要负责政治官员的工作，解决对加拿大最重要的问题，而不是情报机构。
China’s system is so opaque that a report by a skilled diplomat such as Kovrig could well have been circulated among intelligence organizations in Ottawa and beyond — but that doesn’t mean the information was collected by spying, he said.
他说，中国的体系非常不透明，以至于像康明凯这样熟练的外交官的报告很可能在渥太华及其他地区的情报机构中传播，但这并不意味着这些信息是通过间谍活动收集的。
Saint-Jacques said there is a reason, however, why Spavor would have been closely watched by Beijing – and at the top of the list to be grabbed when it was seeking Canadian hostages.
赵朴表示，然而，斯帕弗会受到北京方面的密切关注是有原因的，并且在北京寻找加拿大人质时会被列为首要抓捕对象。
His cross-cultural tour company – Paektu Cultural Exchange – arranged business, academic, sporting and tourist trips into North Korea, including a controversial visit by former NBA star Dennis Rodman. In the course of that work, he developed uniquely close ties with Kim, once spending time with the leader on his yacht. Spavor was based in the Chinese border city of Dandong.
他的跨文化旅游公司——白头山文化交流中心——安排了前往朝鲜的商务、学术、体育和旅游旅行，其中包括前 NBA 球星丹尼斯·罗德曼的一次颇具争议的访问。在这项工作的过程中，他与金正恩建立了独特的密切关系，有一次在他的游艇上与这位领导人共度时光。斯帕弗总部位于中国边境城市丹东。
“China has only one formal alliance and it is with North Korea. They consider North Korea as their back yard. Here was a foreigner, and a Canadian no less, who had a special relationship with Kim Jong-Un,” said the former ambassador.
“中国只有一个正式联盟，那就是与朝鲜。他们认为朝鲜是他们的后院。这位前大使说：“这是一个外国人，也是一个加拿大人，他与金正恩有着特殊的关系。”
“Neither the Chinese ambassador in Pyongyang nor any other Chinese official had similar access to Kim…. They were envious, jealous of Spavor.”
“中国驻平壤大使和任何其他中国官员都没有与金正恩有类似的接触……。他们嫉妒斯帕弗。”
In fact, Kim and Chinese president Xi Jinping had a rocky relationship at the time, with the North Korean taking actions that were seen as disrespectful of Xi, said Saint-Jacques.
赵朴表示，事实上，当时金正恩和中国国家主席习近平的关系并不稳固，朝鲜采取的行动被视为对习近平的不尊重。
“On top of that, here’s a Canadian who goes spending weekends with Kim Jong-Un on his boat…. It’s very rare for any diplomat to have such access.”
“最重要的是，有一位加拿大人与金正恩一起在船上度过周末…… 对于任何外交官来说，拥有这样的访问权限都是非常罕见的。”
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/michael-kovrig-china-spy-allegations
