Pompeo Urges China to Release 2 Detained Canadians After ‘Groundless’ Charges

People hold signs calling for China to release Canadian detainees Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig during an extradition hearing for Huawei Technologies Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou at the B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver, British Columbia, in Canada on March 6, 2019. Lindsey Wasson/Reuters

WASHINGTON/OTTAWA—U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on Monday for the immediate release of two Canadians charged by China with espionage, saying the United States was “extremely concerned” and that the two men’s detention was unjustified.

“These charges are politically motivated and completely groundless,” Pompeo said in a statement.