Michael Kovrig, former hostage of the Chinese state
Three years after his release, the Canadian tells his story to The Economist
THE GOGGLES were bothersome. They fogged up when worn with glasses, rendering the world fuzzy when Michael Kovrig wanted to send his accusers the clearest possible message. It was late March 2021. After more than two years locked up in the Beijing State Security Detention Centre the Canadian former diplomat had been placed in handcuffs and leg irons and driven to a windowless courtroom for a one-day trial, charged with procuring state secrets.
Explore more
Discover more
Does China welcome—or dread—an Iran-Israel war?
It wants American interests to suffer, but not at any price
How to escape from China to America
We travel with Chinese migrants on the deadly journey to America’s border
Why China is awash in unwanted milk
Dairy farmers are dumping the stuff, as some call for culling cows
Worries of a Soviet-style collapse keep Xi Jinping up at night
China’s Communists have now been in power longer than the Soviets
A missile test by China marks its growing nuclear ambitions
America worries that it is looking to surpass its own capabilities one day
Another attack on a Japanese local points to a big problem in China
Has anti-Japanese xenophobia gone too far?
