Former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor have “left Chinese airspace and are on their way home” and will arrive on Saturday, Trudeau said at a press conference in Ottawa.
The news came shortly after Huawei chief Meng Wanzhou, who had been under house arrest in Canada for nearly three years, was released on Friday and returned to China.
Kovrig and Spavor were arrested in China in December 2018, shortly after Canadian authorities arrested Meng over a US extradition request.
In August, Spavor was convicted of espionage and illegal sharing of state secrets. He was sentenced to eleven years in prison by a court in Dandong City.
Former diplomat Kovrig has also been charged with similar offenses. The cases have led to a very strained relationship between Canada and China. They both went behind closed doors and Canadians have expressed serious concerns about the lack of transparency.
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