China slams Canada over Kovrig, Spavor remarks

China on Monday criticized Canada for interfering in its "judicial sovereignty" by making "irresponsible remarks" on trials of two Canadian nationals, who were held two years ago in apparent retaliation for Canada's arrest of a senior executive of the telecoms giant Huawei.

The trial Monday of analyst and former diplomat Michael Kovrig in Beijing follows an initial hearing in the case of entrepreneur Michael Spavor in the northeastern city of Dandong on Friday.

Canadian diplomats have been refused access to trials and been told hearings would be held behind closed doors because of alleged national security concerns.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that China's handling of the cases is "beyond reproach," while calling Canada hypocritical because it also reserves the right to try cases involving state secrets behind closed doors.

Hua said Canada's "microphone diplomacy" will not succeed and urged other diplomats in China to stop actions "inconsistent with their status."

Also, Hua told the daily news conference that bad weather prompted more than 200 Chinese fishing vessels to anchor at a reef claimed by the Philippines, sidestepping accusations from Manila of a move by China's vast South China Sea maritime militia to assert control in the area.

She added that Whitsun Reef was part of the Spratly Islands, one of the main archipelagoes in the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety.

Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana called on Sunday for China to "stop this incursion" and immediately recall these boats violating maritime rights and encroaching into Philippine sovereign territory.

Separately, Hua hit back at the Swiss government's first ever China foreign policy strategy, saying it made "groundless accusations" on China's political system and ethnic polices.

Having presented the strategy on Friday, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis told media that Bern will be more critical on China's human rights issues.