MNI: China Has No Info To Share On Fmr Canadian Diplomat: Spox

     BEIJING (MNI) - China had no information to share yet on the detainment of

former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig in China this week, foreign ministry

spokesman Lu Kang said when pressed by reporters Wednesday

     "I have nothing to provide on the media reports," Lu said when asked. 

     Several media reports cited the International Crisis Group saying that its

North East Asia Senior Adviser Kovrig has been detained in China. 

     The unconfirmed reports of Kovrig's detention on Monday came out as a

Canadian court weighed whether to grant bail -- subsequently granted on Tuesday

-- to Meng Wanzhou,a senior executive at Chinese tech giant Huawei, who was held

in Vancouver under a U.S. extradition request.

     Lu told the press the International Crisis Group, an NGO that is Kovrig's

current employer, isn't registered in China in accordance with law. The group's

operations in China can therefore be deemed as against Chinese laws and

regulations, he said. 

     If NGOs want to conduct activities in China, they must register with China

on their relevant activities. Asked if his detainment is in retaliation with

Canadian authority's arrest of Huawei's CFO Meng Wanzhou, Lu declined to connect

the two issues. When pressed how the "severe consequences" warned by China

against Canada for Meng's arrest may take shape. Lu said "it depends on Canada."

     The comments come as the fall out from the Huawei affair becomes more

entangled with ongoing China/U.S. trade dispute. Overnight, U.S. President

Donald Trump said he could intervene in the Meng Wanzhou case if it helped

facilitate smoother trade talks.

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