Michael Kovrig

Michael Kovrig (born February 3, 1972) is a Canadian geopolitical advisor, analyst, writer, and former diplomat. In December 2018, he was detained in Beijing by Chinese authorities and held for 1,019 days on following the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. On September 24, 2021, he was released and returned to Canada after the United States reached a deferred prosecution agreement with Meng.

Currently, Kovrig works for the International Crisis Group (ICG) as a Senior Advisor specializing in Asia-Pacific affairs and Chinese foreign policy.

Born in Toronto, Canada, Kovrig attended Royal St. George's College and later graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature in 1994. He then attended Columbia University and earned a Master’s in International Affairs in 2003.

After graduating from the University of Toronto, Kovrig lived in Budapest, Hungary in the 1990s, working as an editor for Budapest Week, reporter for the Budapest Business Journal and as a radio news announcer for Magyar Rádió.

In 2003, Kovrig began working as a researcher for the firm that later became Rhodium Group. From 2003 to 2007, he worked for the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations as a Media and Communications Officer. He then transitioned to the United Nations Development Programme as a strategic communications specialist for three years, beginning in 2007.

In 2010, he joined the Canadian Foreign Service, and served at Global Affairs Canada’s headquarters in Ottawa as a senior desk officer in the international security branch. Kovrig was posted through Canada’s Global Security Reporting Program (GSRP) as a diplomat to the Embassy of Canada to China from 2014 to 2016, where he served as a First Secretary in the political section. In 2016, he briefly served as Consul at the Consulate General of Canada in Hong Kong.

Since 2017, he has worked for the International Crisis Group, a transnational non-profit focused on preventing and resolving deadly conflict through research and advocacy, as a Senior Adviser.

He has written and advocated on various geopolitical issues, including China’s politics and international relations, the North Korean nuclear crisis, and maritime disputes in the Western Pacific. He is a published contributor to The Globe & Mail, the South China Morning Post, Asia Times, Politico, The Diplomat, Mail & Guardian, and ChinaFile.