Michael Kovrig (@MichaelKovrig) / X

Michael Kovrig

6,109 posts

Michael Kovrig

@MichaelKovrig

Founder/CEO/writer/analyst/advocate/ex-diplomat | Senior Adviser, ICG | China/Indo-Pacific/geopolitics/geoeconomics | Don't start none, won't be none 己所不欲,勿施於人

www.linkedin.com/in/kovrig

michaelkovrig.substack.com

Joined November 2014

Pinned
Michael Kovrig
@MichaelKovrig
May 5
Western leaders keep going to China, hoping relations can be stabilized. Instead, they get harmonized—into serving the Communist Party’s agenda and propaganda. As accommodation gets normalized, interdependence is weaponized. Next week it’s Trump’s turn. Will he get trapped in the
Trump’s China Trap
From foreignaffairs.com
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Michael Kovrig
@MichaelKovrig
Oct 8, 2021
Michael Kovrig
@MichaelKovrig
Sep 24, 2022
A year has now passed since my return from China. I've appreciated every day of liberty. To understand what happened, read this @KennedyCSIS commentary:
csis.org
Beijing Suffers Major Loss from Its Hostage Diplomacy | CSIS
China’s scheme to force Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou’s release by taking hostages backfired in ways big and small. China showed its teeth, but instead of cowering in fear, Canada and the United States...
Michael Kovrig
@MichaelKovrig
Mar 8, 2024
Governments must reinforce the basic international norm that responsible states don’t abduct each other’s citizens. My latest for @POLITICOEurope : #arbitrarydetention #hostagetaking
China’s abductions of foreign nationals should carry costs and consequences
From politico.eu
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Michael Kovrig
@MichaelKovrig
Mar 31, 2025
Two weeks ago #China executed four #Canadian citizens and halted billions of dollars in imports of Canadian agricultural products. Last week, China's ambassador to Canada said he wants to move the relationship forward. Confused? 🤔 In a March 25 discussion on CBC's The Current
46K
Michael Kovrig
@MichaelKovrig
Jul 14, 2025
Chinese analysts and diplomats are saying that Canada, under pressure from US tariffs, should tilt toward China. The implicit deal: kowtow to the Chinese Communist Party in return for economic benefits, sacrifice Canadian manufacturing for agricultural exports. It’s a devil’s
GIF
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Michael Kovrig
@MichaelKovrig
Jun 15, 2023
Can’t imagine how an infrastructure bank created by the CPC could possibly be heavily influenced by it…🤨
Canada freezes ties with China-led AIIB, probes allegations of Communist domination
From reuters.com
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Michael Kovrig
@MichaelKovrig
Sep 23, 2023
Read this excellent feature by @Justin_Ling to understand how and why Beijing’s actions have driven China-Canada relations into a downward spiral, despite Canadian elites’ reluctance to get serious about responding:
Why Did Trudeau Dawdle on Chinese Election Meddling?
From foreignpolicy.com
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Michael Kovrig
@MichaelKovrig
Oct 7, 2024
Then they came for the teachers… Now the #CCP is restricting foreign travel for educators, much as it already does for Party-state officials and ethnic minorities. Why? To “protect” them from “Western spiritual pollution”, control their lives and thoughts, and prevent them from
FT China
@ftchina
Oct 6, 2024
China demands schoolteachers hand in their passports on.ft.com/3NcMKGi
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Michael Kovrig
@MichaelKovrig
Oct 16, 2025
What does it mean to have a "correct" perception of China? Beijing's diplomats have been using that phrase a lot lately. In a new op-ed for the National Post and more detailed Substack post (linked in the comments), I decode the Party-speak behind the charm offensive to explain
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Michael Kovrig
@MichaelKovrig
Apr 28, 2025
Open societies need to do more to safeguard themselves against the 🇨🇳 #CCP's transnational repression, elite capture and foreign interference and influence, I told columnist Douglas Todd on a recent visit to the West Coast
Michael Kovrig comes to Vancouver: 'Ground zero' for his detention in China
From vancouversun.com
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Michael Kovrig
@MichaelKovrig
Aug 16, 2023
A key tenet of Confucianism is benevolence. Find the humanity remaining in your shrivelled #CPC souls and just let her go home to her children.
Ten hours of sunlight per year: Australian Cheng Lei's first message from Chinese prison
From abc.net.au
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Michael Kovrig
@MichaelKovrig
Jul 24, 2025
China executed 4 Canadians earlier this year. Why? And why does it matter? Domestically, the point is to intimidate Chinese citizens by showing remorseless power and authority. For foreigners, the message is: “demonstrate subservience and we’ll stop doing harmful things.” My
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Michael Kovrig
@MichaelKovrig
Nov 26, 2023
How #geopolitics caught up with #Canada: Canadians aren’t used to thinking geopolitically, I told @Dimi, but that’s going to be essential for the country to protect itself, maintain influence, and prosper in an increasingly complex and hostile world. Canada’s urgent challenge is
94K