Employer of ex-Canadian envoy violates law: MFA
By Huang Jingjing
People's Daily app
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The International Crisis Group (ICG), which Michael Kovrig has worked with since 2017, hasn’t registered in China and its activities in China are against the overseas NGO administration law, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang at a regular press briefing Wednesday.

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Michael Kovrig. (File photo: People's Daily app)

Lu responded that he had no related information to offer when asked about the detention of Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat and ICG’s senior adviser for North East Asia based in Hong Kong, a nongovernmental organization.

“If it’s true, please be at ease. Chinese authorities will tackle the case according to law,” Lu said.

“As far as I know, Michael Kovrig’s employer International Crisis Group has not registered in China, which means its employees’ activities in China violate the Law on Administration of Activities of Overseas Nongovernmental Organizations in the Chinese mainland.”

Kovrig was detained by the Beijing police Monday night, according to media reports that quoted the ICG.

In an effort to standardize and supervise the activities of overseas NGOs, as well as prevent them from undermining China's State security, China adopted the overseas NGO management law in April 2016, requiring all overseas NGOs to re-register if they want to keep working in the Chinese mainland.