Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reacted angrily Friday to the closed-door trial of a Canadian man detained in China for more than two years on espionage charges, dismissing it as "completely unacceptable."

Businessman Michael Spavor, whose hearing finished after less than three hours on Friday, is one of two Canadians detained, in apparent retaliation for Canada's arrest on a US extradition warrant of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, and formally charged last June with spying.

"Let me be very clear: Their arbitrary detention is completely unacceptable, as is the lack of transparency around these court proceedings," the Canadian leader told a news conference.

Spavor's compatriot, former diplomat Michael Kovrig, is scheduled to go to trial on Monday.

Canada has attacked the charges against its citizens as "trumped-up," and the three cases have sent relations between Ottawa and Beijing to their lowest point in decades, although China has denied any link between Meng's arrest and the action taken against the Canadians.

Diplomats and media were barred from attending Spavor's trial earlier in Dandong, where Canadian officials were joined by envoys from eight other nations including the United States, France and Australia outside the courthouse.

Canadian diplomats waved as a police van with tinted windows believed to be carrying Spavor drove out of the court.

The verdict remains unknown.

A court statement said that the "private hearing" had finished and that the court would "select a date to announce the verdict."

Spavor's family have called for his unconditional release, saying that he was innocent of the accusations and had done much as a businessman to "build constructive ties" between Canada, China and North Korea.

- 'Coercive diplomacy' -

Trudeau said his government, along with allies he thanked publicly for showing "global solidarity in this case," would continue to press China to immediately release the "Two Michaels," as they have become known.

"China needs to understand that it is not just about two Canadians," he said.

"It is about respect for the rule of law and relationships with a broad range of Western countries that is at play with the arbitrary detention and the coercive diplomacy they have engaged in."

These nations, he said, are "concerned about this not just because of these two Canadians, but because of the potential implications for their own citizens."

The timing of the Spavor and Kovrig trials comes as high-level talks got underway between the US and China in Anchorage, Alaska, which observers said was no coincidence.

Jim Nickel, the charge d'affaires of the Canadian embassy in Beijing, told reporters outside the Dandong courtroom in northeastern China that Canada -- with US support -- hopes to obtain Spavor and Kovrig's "immediate release."

In Ottawa, Trudeau commented that "the Americans take this case seriously," adding that the plight of the two Canadians was sure to be raised by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in his first face-to-face meeting with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi.

US State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter called the prosecution of the Canadians "deeply alarming," and condemned their "lack of minimum procedural protections during their two years of arbitrary detention."

The United States, she added, stands "shoulder to shoulder with Canada in calling for their release."

The trials of the two Canadians, who were detained in December 2018, also came alongside Huawei chief financial officer Meng's extradition case heading into its final weeks.

Meng, whose father is Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei, has been fighting extradition to the US on charges that she and the company violated US sanctions on Iran and other laws.

Trudeau has accused Beijing of detaining Spavor and Kovrig to put pressure on Canada to release Meng, while affirming the independence of Canada's judicial system in dealing with the US extradition request.

The two Canadian men have had almost no contact with the outside world since their detention.

Virtual consular visits only resumed in October after a nine-month hiatus that authorities said was due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Meng, meanwhile, remains under house arrest at her Vancouver mansion. Her hearing is expected to wrap up mid-May, barring appeals.

Key dates in China-Canada spat
Beijing (AFP) March 19, 2021 - Two Canadians detained in China for more than two years will face trial in the coming days for espionage -- charges which Canada claimed are "trumped-up" as relations further sour between Ottawa and Beijing.

The closed-door trial of businessman Michael Spavor will take place in the northeastern city of Dandong Friday, while that of former diplomat Michael Kovrig is set to be held in Beijing Monday.

Both men were formally charged with spying last June, after they were detained December 2018 in apparent retaliation for Canada's arrest on a US extradition warrant of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou days earlier.

Here are the key dates since Meng's arrest.

- Initial arrest -

On December 1, 2018, Meng was arrested at the request of US authorities as she was changing planes in Vancouver. The move infuriated Beijing, which threatened grave consequences if Meng was not freed.

Meng -- the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, a former Chinese People's Liberation Army engineer -- is accused of lying to bankers about the use of a covert subsidiary to sell to Iran in breach of US sanctions. If convicted, she faces more than 30 years in prison.

She was released on $7.4 million bail on December 11, allowing her to stay at a luxury home owned by her husband in Vancouver under electronic surveillance pending her US extradition hearing.

- Detentions in China -

On December 10, 2018, China detained former diplomat Michael Kovrig, who was employed by the International Crisis Group think tank, and business consultant Michael Spavor under suspicion of "engaging in activities that threatened China's national security."

Their arrests were widely seen by observers as retaliation for Meng's detention.

Canada called for their immediate release and appealed to allies for support.

- 'Arbitrary detention' -

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and then-US President Donald Trump denounced China's "arbitrary detention" of the two Canadians during a telephone call on January 7, 2019, according to officials.

Britain, France, Germany and the European Union also issued statements expressing concerns about the arrests.

- Death sentence -

In January 2019, diplomatic tensions grew after a court in northeast China sentenced Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, 36, to death at a hastily scheduled retrial. A high court in Liaoning previously ruled his previous 15-year prison term for drug trafficking was too lenient.

Following the death sentence, Canada updated its travel advisory for China, warning citizens of the "risk of arbitrary enforcement of local laws".

In response, China warned its citizens of the "risks" of travelling to Canada after what it called the "arbitrary" detention of Meng.

- Court rules against Meng -

Meng suffered a legal setback in May 2020 when a Canadian judge ruled that proceedings to extradite her to the United States would go ahead, based on so-called double criminality -- a key test for extradition.

The interim ruling means she could continue to live in a Vancouver mansion under strict bail conditions while her case proceeds, and also effectively dashed hopes for a quick mending of Canada-China relations.

- Formal charges -

On June 19, 2020, China formally charged Kovrig and Spavor, more than 18 months after their arrests.

The Supreme People's Procuratorate said the pair were "suspected of foreign espionage" and "providing state secrets" as it began prosecution proceedings.

- Meng's possible return -

In December, the Wall Street Journal reported that the US government was discussing a "deferred prosecution agreement" deal with Huawei that could allow Meng to return to China.

Shortly afterwards, Canadian officials revealed that Meng's family was granted a cross-border travel exemption to join her in Vancouver.

- Post-Covid visits -

Virtual consular visits to both men finally resumed in October, after a nine-month hiatus due to the pandemic.

In January, Beijing said both men were allowed calls with relatives over Christmas out of "humanitarian considerations".

They have had almost no contact with the outside world since their detention.

- 'Genocide' claims -

In February, a motion passed unanimously by Canadian MPs declared China's treatment of Uyghur Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region was "genocide", and called for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics to be moved if the "genocide" continues.

However, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been reluctant to describe the situation in Xinjiang as "genocide", saying the term is "extremely loaded".

- Trial begins -

Canadian diplomats were refused entry to Michael Spavor's trial in Dandong on Friday, as officials from eight other countries stood outside the court in support.

Jim Nickel, Charge d'affaires of the Canadian embassy in Beijing, told reporters they were "disappointed by the lack of transparency and the lack of access."

The two men face up to life in prison if found guilty of "espionage" and "providing state secrets".

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