Canadian authorities on Friday announced the arrest of a retired police officer accused of foreign interference in favor of China, amid tensions between the two countries, AFP reported.

William Mycher, 60, is accused of “using his knowledge and extensive network of contacts in Canada to obtain information or services that would benefit the People’s Republic of China,” the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said in a press release.

Police suspect the man “contributed to the Chinese government’s efforts to identify and intimidate an individual outside of Canadian law.” He is the subject of an investigation in the fall of 2021.

The Canadian, who lives in Hong Kong, appeared via video conference on Friday in Longueuil, a suburb of Montreal, where he was charged with “conspiracy” and acting to commit a crime “on behalf of a foreign organization”.

“He is currently in Canada and was arrested in Vancouver, where he is being held until his next court appearance on July 25,” RCMP spokeswoman Camille Habel told AFP.

Relations between China and Canada have deteriorated sharply since Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of telecommunications giant Huawei, in 2018 at the request of the United States.

Days after that arrest, two Canadians, businessman Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig, were arrested in China in what many saw as retaliation.

Although the three have since been released, tensions between the two countries remain, with Beijing criticizing Ottawa for aligning itself with Washington’s China policy and Canadian authorities regularly accusing China of meddling in their national affairs.

In recent months, allegations of Chinese interference in Canada’s last two federal elections have put Justin Trudeau’s government under pressure from opposition parties.