EXPOSÉ: MAKE NO MISTAKE, THE TWO MICHAELS, CANADA’S KOVRIG AND SPAVOR WERE CAUGHT RED-HANDED SPYING AGAINST CHINA AND KOREA

Jeff J. Brown

EXPOSÉ: MAKE NO MISTAKE, THE TWO MICHAELS, CANADA’S KOVRIG AND SPAVOR WERE CAUGHT RED-HANDED SPYING AGAINST CHINA AND KOREA – HERE IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW. CHINA RISING RADIO SINOLAND 211230

Pictured above: The West’s Big Lie Propaganda Machine (BLPM) worked tirelessly to brainwash the world that the Two Michaels were innocent victims, cynically used by Baba Beijing for a prisoner swap with Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou. The fact is, they were as guilty as sin of spying for the Western Empire. Read on.

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China Rising Radio Sinoland · Exposé: Make No Mistake, The Two Michaels, Canada’s Kovrig And Spavor Were Caught Red-Handed Spying

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Note before starting: A slightly edited version of this exposé was published on CovertAction Magazine. I hope you will support their mission (https://covertactionmagazine.com/2021/12/15/the-two-michaels-canadas-kovrig-and-spavor-caught-red-handed-spying-against-china-and-north-korea/).

In the beginning

Meng Wanzhou all smiles going to Vancouver Airport to return home.

https://chinarising.puntopress.com/search/?q=meng), while Uncle Sam’s imperial ambitions did not pan out.

Rhodium Group is one of thousands of popularly known (Washington, DC) Beltway Bandits, who are lobbying, NGO and research organizations, hired mostly by the Western deep state and the Big Lie Propaganda Machine, to spin their webs of ersatz nobility and evangelical righteousness, to impose on all the world’s peoples.

On 10 December 2018, two Canadian citizens were arrested in China, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, later getting coined the moniker, the Two Michaels. The Chinese government charged them with espionage, whereupon they went to trial. On 11 August 2021 Spavor was sentenced by the court to 11 years imprisonment, all his assets in China seized (50,000 renminbi) and eventual deportation for spying, with Kovrig’s court case continuing. (https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1231157.shtml).

There was the usual, greater-than-thou moral outrage in the West, as Beijing was accused of cynically and calculatedly taking them into custody in response to Meng’s apprehension, to use as pawns in a potential swap. The Two Michaels were celebrities and national heroes and still are, especially when they were sent back home on 24 September 2021, the same day as Meng’s release. This confirmed in the minds of most Canadians that the Two Michaels were in fact arrested as pieces on the geopolitical chessboard, and that the charges they were spies were bogus.

However, that is not true. The Two Michaels were very guilty of espionage against the Chinese and DPRK (North Korea) states, as this exposé will amply show.

Background noise

Stars of this exposé, the Two Michaels, Spavor on the left, Kovrig on the right.

One claim the West very likely got right about the arrest of the Two Michaels is that Beijing did apprehend them as leverage for Meng Wanzhou. When dealing with Uncle Sam, the world’s self-appointed imperial globocop, totally above international laws, it was a smart move. Balance. Ying and yang.

Just as probable is that the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS – their CIA) had all the information they needed on Kovrig and Spavor and were biding their time to see if any local citizens were cooperating. Since intelligence information was being transmitted across the DPRK border and beyond, we can surely assume their North Korean homologue, the Reconnaissance General Bureau was also enjoying the show. The fact that the Two Michaels’ espionage activities were second tier (as defined by Chinese sources – https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202109/1233084.shtml), even amateurish, suggests having them in the field was not terribly worrying for both countries. They definitely were not in league with super spies like Kim Philby and Aldrich Ames.

Western empire goes to bat for Kovrig and Spavor

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, standing, was not alone in using the Two Michaels as political fodder to get re-elected this year, all jumping on the “Free the Two Michaels + China is evil” bandwagon.

While the Two Michaels are relatively unknown outside Canada, this did not stop the Canadian establishment and mainstream media garnering support around the world – officially 58 countries (https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202102/1216143.shtml). Hundreds from the who’s who of politics, diplomacy, academia and think tanks came out publicly to demand the immediate release of Kovrig and Spavor, for what Canadian Prime Minister called “arbitrary detention” (https://www.moonofshanghai.com/2021/06/larry-romanoff-propaganda-and-media_14.html). In the mosh pit of Western electoral politics, Canadian notables on both the left and right stood on their soapboxes, to lambast “authoritarian and opaque” China and their mistreatment behind bars (https://thediplomat.com/2019/12/the-cruel-fate-of-michael-kovrig-and-michael-spavor-in-china/). Soon after moving to the White House, President Joe Biden added to this propaganda optic, stating that, “Human beings are not bartering chips”, which is a macabre hoot, considering Guantanamo’s torture prison and CIA black ops rendition centers around the world (https://globalnews.ca/news/7658174/biden-trudeau-1st-bilateral-meeting/).  Or the fact the US—as evidenced by the Meng Wanzhou case, as well as that of a high French executive—is not above using dubious or downright illegal international procedures to attain economic and strategic advantages. As reported by CGTN in May 2019, 

On April 14, 2013, Frederic Pierucci, an executive of Alstom, a French power and transportation conglomerate, was arrested by the FBI when his plane arrived at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. He was charged with bribing Indonesian officials to win a power plant contract. Coincidentally or not, the arrest of Pierucci, then president of the French power titan's boiler subsidiary, ran parallel to the largest business acquisition by the American General Electric (GE) of its French rival Alstom's energy business.  Alstom, whose turbines power France's nuclear stations and submarines, had been central to France's strategic assets. Its strong portfolio of coal-based turbines, if merged with GE's advantage in gas turbines, would greatly expand the capacity of the American conglomerate in the energy business. But given that Alstom is of crucial importance to the French economy and national security, it was unlikely for the French government to give the acquisition a pass, especially since GE is an American company. (What does the fate of Alstom tell us about the Huawei case?, 26 May 2019)

The very notion that the US government, a front for US corporate power, and one of the world's most corrupt governments, would be scandalised and even have the temerity to legislate against bribery in infrastructural contracts, something regarded as routine in transactions of this nature around the capitalist world, especially in nations like Indonesia and Egypt, whose murderous kleptocratic regimes are not accidentally controlled by the US itself,  is the height of hypocrisy.  The rationale for such mafioso tactics is clear,

The long arm of U.S. sheriffs dates backs to over a decade ago, when the world's biggest power was pressured by the rapid ascent of other economies. Now it's the thought of possibly losing its technological advantage that has gripped the United States. Therefore, it has resorted to legal machinations in order to gain a competitive economic edge. Bribery, fraud, and breaking sanctions are the commonly used pretexts. (ibid.)

So what about the two supposed victims of China's "tyrannical" judicial system? In fact, the Two Michaels were, by all measures well treated. They were allowed in-person and online ambassadorial and consular visits, phone calls and letters back home with family; they were well fed and got good medical care (https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1231157.shtml and https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-something-has-to-change-michael-kovrigs-letters-detail-life-in-a/), as well as having ample chances to read books and exercise (https://www.darpanmagazine.com/news/national/books-physical-rigour-stoke-hope-for-kovrig/). If only Western political prisoners, like Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning were so lucky.

Sorry, all espionage trials are “opaque”

This is all we got to see of Chelsea Manning’s trial, drawings by security cleared artists. It is common practice around the world for intelligence related court procedures to be held in secret.

The other laughable Western accusation was that Kovrig’s and Spavor’s court trials were opaque since China did not allow Western witnesses to attend, to verify a “fair” trial. Since when are espionage cases open for all the world to witness? State secrets, intelligence procedures, agents identified and highly sensitive evidence are usually presented. Of course, all countries are not going to divulge this to foreign enemies. I could fill pages of Western spy trials that never saw the light of day. This is not small claims court in Omaha, Nebraska. 

Let’s start with low-hanging color revolution fruit: Michael Kovrig and International Crisis Group

ICG webpage with its list of targeted regions and countries in Asia. They have an affinity for countries that cooperate with China.

Michael Kovrig’s CV starts out in innocent fashion, according to his LinkedIn page.  An English Literature diploma from University of Toronto (1989-1994), he then studied French at Paris-Sorbonne University (1995). From there until 2001, Kovrig is a blank page, whereupon he went to New York’s Columbia University, getting a Master’s in International Affairs (2001-2003). He then dropped off the radar until getting some training certificates at the United Nations and New York University (2006-2007). He immediately went to work for the UN Development Program (UNDP), mostly in Africa, but also Asia (2007-2010), then a short stint for the G8 and G20 summits (2010).

So far, so good. His educational and work experience till here could be many others’, who work in international development and relations.

He then seems to have gone in a more geopolitical direction, while joining the Canadian Foreign Service, as Senior Desk Officer for its International Security Branch (2010-2012), where he coordinated a network of fellow diplomats in this sector, based in Ottawa. International security means guaranteeing the survival one’s country, involving military intervention and treaties. Now that’s a job Zbigniew Brzezinski could cut his teeth on.

Kovrig apparently turned some heads, becoming in Beijing a Canadian Embassy First Secretary and Vice-Consul, higher than an entry-level attaché and below counselor and ambassador (2014-2016). In military ranking, it’s the same as lieutenant colonel, not a bad jump up (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplomatic_rank). During this stint, he studied and became functional in Mandarin.

The state security plot thickens with Rhodium Group and the Atlantic Council

The Atlantic Council is a house of neoliberal, ultra-hawk, cold warrior horrors. Look no further than Hillary Clinton and Henry Kissinger for starters, headlining a deep roster of imperial psychopaths. Seems like Michael Kovrig drank their evil Kool-Aid.

Then, in 2016 he seems to have become a China analyst with the Rhodium Group. (https://www.chinafile.com/conversation/kim-jong-un-visits-beijing), which specializes in gun-for-hire research on China, India, energy and advanced economies (https://rhg.com/what-we-do/). Rhodium’s big Sino-project is the Atlantic Council’s multiyear China Pathfinder project (https://chinapathfinder.org/). Interestingly, on Kovrig’s LinkedIn page for this gig, we only have the job title, Consultant on Geopolitical Risk, Government Relations and Strategic Communication (2016-present), but no entity. Trying to hide something, Michael? 

Rhodium Group is one of thousands of popularly known (Washington, DC) Beltway Bandits, who are lobbying, NGO and research organizations, hired mostly by the Western deep state and the Big Lie Propaganda Machine, to spin their webs of ersatz nobility and evangelical righteousness, to impose on all the world’s peoples.

Like the Atlantic Council? Bingo. With uber rabid cold war warrior directors like Henry Kissinger, Mark Esper (Secretary of Defense), David H. Petraeus (CIA Director), Michael Chertoff (Department of Homeland Security) and Generals Wesley Clark (Serbia/Kosovo command) and James Cartwright (Joint Chiefs of Staff), among scores more, including James Baker, Ashton Carter, Robert Gates, Leon Panetta, Colin Powell, William Perry, Condoleezza Rice and William Webster. Need I say more? Yikes, my head is spinning just writing this list. It is worse than a real-life Dr. Strangelove movie (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Council). 

Kovrig jumps into George Soros’ lap

Color revolution financier and veteran Sinophobe George Soros founded the International Crisis Group and continues to be a big backer. Their byline, “Working to Prevent Conflict Worldwide” is pure Orwellian doublespeak.

With mentorship and inspiration like that, it was not a big jump for Kovrig to become International Crisis Group’s (ICG) top dog in Northeast Asia, meaning China and North Korea, starting in 2017 (https://chinarising.puntopress.com/2019/02/04/canadian-recently-arrested-by-baba-beijing-works-for-the-soros-cia-front-group-icg-china-rising-radio-sinoland-190204/).

ICG is not just another humdrum NGO. Founded in 1995 with money from George Soros and his color revolution cookie cutter, Open Society, ICG has been at the forefront of Western backed subversion and sabotage across the planet (https://chinarising.puntopress.com/2019/02/05/60-seconds-over-sinoland-george-soros-threw-his-own-icg-employee-michael-kovrig-under-the-sino-bus/). Its ongoing funding is like a who’s who of the CIA’s storefront National Endowment for Democracy (NED): Carnegie, Koch, Ford, Luce, MacArthur and Rockefeller, among others, pumping millions of dollars annually into its many misdeeds (https://www.crisisgroup.org/support-us/foundations). Not only that, but many NATO governments chip in as well (https://w05.international.gc.ca/projectbrowser-banqueprojets/project-projet/details/P008243001). ICG’s directors include cross-pollinating and similar neoliberal, ultra-hawk, fundamentalist directors as the Atlantic Council.

ICG cut its color revolution chops in Yugoslavia (https://web.archive.org/web/20130307075754/https:/www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/misc/crisisgroup-15years.ashx) and like the CIA’s Gene Sharp, hides behind the Orwellian doublespeak of, “peaceful conflict resolution”, when in fact it means causing violent uprisings and government overthrows (https://chinarising.puntopress.com/2021/06/04/every-4-june-the-wests-big-lie-propaganda-machine-blpm-spews-tiananmen-projectile-vomit-across-earth-hoping-to-destroy-the-chinese-people-and-their-communist-socialist-way-of-life-china-china-rising-r/).

From there, you name it and ICG has been there: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Palestine, Syria and all across Latin America, Africa and Asia, seeming to target countries that have good relations and cooperative development with China. Where China goes, so does ICG (https://newleftreview.org/issues/ii63/articles/tom-hazeldine-the-north-atlantic-counsel). Lately, ICG has been helping destabilize Ethiopia and its Tigray region, a huge cooperator country with China, while also aiming to cause misery and suffering in next door Eritrea, a proud, independent, Cuban-styled socialist country (http://chinarising.puntopress.com/2017/06/14/africas-cuba-thomas-mountain-reports-on-life-in-revolutionary-eritrea-170612/).

Kovrig plays a poor James Bond in China

Michael Kovrig playing out his James Bond fantasies in China? It didn’t work out as planned.  (The Bond franchise has made zillions of dollars for its owners, but it has also whitewashed and glamorised the work of agents involved in utterly criminal and sordid business across the globe ("on her Majesty's Service") unbecoming of a real hero.

As the new ICG point man for the region (where he remains on their website – https://www.crisisgroup.org/who-we-are/people/michael-kovrig) Kovrig moved to Hong Kong. According to informed Chinese sources, Kovrig entered China 2017-2018 under the guise of a businessman and false pretext of commerce, all the while still getting his Canadian diplomat’s salary, as a government employee of Canada (https://web.archive.org/web/20190324012147/https:/www.bnnbloomberg.ca/former-canadian-envoy-is-now-at-center-of-feud-with-china-1.1182383). Did he think that the very thorough Chinese MSS wasn’t watching him like an anti-imperial red hawk, starting in Hong Kong and every step of the way? During his time in China, Kovrig traveled to Jilin (it borders DPRK), Shanghai, Beijing and other areas, using his associates (Chinese? Foreign?), to collect a cachet of national security related information, writing analytical reports on it all and presumably sending it back home.

According to China’s 2015 National Security Law, this was defined as second-tier state secrets and intelligence (https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202109/1233084.shtml).

Equally egregious, the Canadian Embassy must have known that Beijing proposed a foreign NGO (FNGO) control law in 2015, which was available for the whole world to see online and comment on; whereupon it was passed by the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee on 28 April 2016. It is aptly named the Management of Foreign Non-Governmental Organizations Law, and its intention was to bring to heel the myriad CIA/MI6/DGSE/BND/Soros government-overthrowing window fronts used by the West to destroy its perceived enemy countries. China had over 7,000 FNGOs running amok around the country and the law was long overdue (https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2016/12/15/the-state-of-ngos-in-china-today/).

The law is very thorough and explicit, which can be studied here (https://chinarising.puntopress.com/2016/04/30/baba-beijing-lowers-the-communist-boom-on-foreign-ngos-china-rising-radio-sinoland-16-4-30/). Coming into force on 1 January 2017, ICG wouldn’t get past the color rev gate and did not apparently try to officially register under the new rules.

Working for counterrevolutionary ICG, Rhodium Group and getting paid by Ottawa, is this why Kovrig entered China from Hong Kong for two years, pretending to be a civilian Canadian businessman? I suspect MSS took a gander at ICG’s website, with Kovrig’s face smirking from afar.

Michael John Kovrig was a second tier James Bond. Nevertheless, he was still an anti-China spy, and as we shall see, an anti-DPRK one as well.

Michael Spavor was Kovrig’s across-the-Yalu-River partner in crime

Ah, those were the days, when Michael Spavor was DPRK leader Kim Jong-Un’s high-fiving buddy. And then he flushed it all away.

Fellow Canadian Michael Spavor’s story is much more colorful and entertaining. While Kovrig seems to have gotten smitten with the Atlantic Group’s anti-communist-socialist, pro global capitalist agenda, via his work with Rhodium Group, it is hard to fathom why Spavor would go down the same route, considering all that he had going for himself.

His interest in Korea started with a visit to Seoul in the late nineties, where he apparently became smitten by the intrigue north of the 38^th parallel (https://www.macleans.ca/news/world/kim-jong-un-meet-the-nhl/).

According to his LinkedIn page, Spavor got a BS in International Relations at the University of Calgary (2002-2007). This overlapped with a research program in Political Science and International Trade, at Kangwon National University, in South Korea (2006-2008).

Through all this, Spavor went on to live in Pyongyang for six months in 2005, working as a teacher through the offices of a Canadian NGO. He then worked in Seoul as Deputy Director of the Korea Tourist Organization (2008-2010) and from there became Director of Pyongyang Project, based in Yanji, Jilin Province, China, this city being the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture seat of government (2010-September 2013). The NGO Pyongyang Project had just been set up as a vehicle for cross-cultural education and language programs between DPRK and Canada.

Dennis Rodman, Kim Jong-Un and Michael Kovrig in DPRK, with Kim’s English interpreter in between.