OTTAWA -- Michael Kovrig’s wife says hearing about his impending trial in China has been a devastating blow in an already exhausting two-year battle for his freedom, but it doesn’t change his innocence.

Vina Nadjibulla’s comments come one day after Global Affairs announced that the court hearings for Kovrig and fellow detainee Michael Spavor, who have been jailed for 829 days, are scheduled to take place starting tomorrow.

"Our embassy in Beijing has been notified that court hearings for Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig are scheduled to take place on March 19 and March 22, respectively," reads a statement issued Wednesday by Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau.

In an interview with CTV National News, Nadjibulla said the team advocating for Kovrig’s release is "staying strong for Michael, because that is what he is doing."

She says that while her husband is trying to keep physically and mentally fulfilled – reading books, singing and mediating – she worries most about how he will take the news, given what he’s already endured.

"It’s hard news for all of us here to make sense of and understand, but we have the benefit of each other … and he’s having to make sense of this and remain strong through this, on his own," said Nadjibulla, who is married to Kovrig but separated.

The two men were detained in China on Dec. 10, 2018 on allegations of state spying, largely seen in the West as retaliation for the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou days prior in Vancouver in connection with a U.S. extradition request.

Garneau said his team is pressing to have Canadian officials in attendance during the hearings.

"Canadian officials are seeking continued consular access to Mr. Spavor and Mr. Kovrig, in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the China-Canada Consular Agreement, and have also requested to attend the proceedings," the statement reads.

A representative from Global Affairs told CTV News on Thursday that Canadian officials have not yet received notice on a decision about this request.

The conviction rate in criminal charges in China hovers around 99 per cent, and experts say it’s unlikely the two men will be granted much time with their legal counsel in advance of the trails.

"There is not a judicial system, it’s not fair. It’s a system in which political authorities give instructions to judges as to the outcome they want to see in trials. The judges are not, unlike Canada, free agents determining what the law says, they are agents of the Chinese state," said Brian Lee Crowley, the managing director at the MacDonald-Laurier Institute, on CTV News Channel on Thursday.

Despite this, Nadjibulla says she’s holding on to Michael’s innocence.

"What I am remaining focused on is the fact that no matter what happens on Friday and Monday, this entire process fundamentally is flawed because Michael is innocent, his detention is arbitrary and unjust, and that must be our focus," she said.

She added that she has been encouraged by U.S. President Joe Biden’s strong stance on the issue, but hopes it’s followed up soon with concrete action.

U.S. and Chinese officials are gathering in Alaska today for a two-day summit to discuss the superpowers’ frayed relationship. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan will meet China's top two diplomats, State Councilor Wang Yi and Chinese Communist Party foreign affairs chief Yang Jiechi.

Blinken has also been vocal about insisting on Spavor and Kovrig’s release.

"I hope that now is the time for those commitments to be translated into action. What we need is urgent action and diplomatic intervention to secure their release, and that is what I hope is happening," said Nadjibulla.

With a file from The Associated Press.