Canadian held for spying to be treated lawfully
Print Edition
PREMIER Li Keqiang yesterday promised that a Canadian man held in China for two years on suspicion of spying would be treated humanely and lawfully.
China indicted Canadian citizen Kevin Garratt in January on charges of spying and stealing state secrets.
He was detained in August 2014 near China’s border with North Korea.
Asked about Garratt, Li told a joint news conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Beijing that China and Canada would continue to communicate on the issue.
“As for the individual case you have raised, I want to say that China is a country with rule of law and our judicial authorities will handle it in strict accordance with the law, and give the relevant case humane treatment,” Li said in rare public comment by a top Chinese leader on such a touchy issue.
Li said China would grant consular access in such cases if they involved foreigners.
“For these cases, the departments of both sides will continue to remain in touch and we believe it’s essential for our two countries to remove disturbances and work together to uphold the other interests of China-Canada relations.”
Trudeau did not provide details on his talks with Li about Garratt.
“The foundation of a strong relationship is being able to be frank and open about concerns, questions and issues to work on together,” he said.
“That’s part of why every time I’ve had the opportunity to sit down with the Chinese leadership I’ve highlighted a number of consular cases, including the Kevin Garratt case, and I continue to look forward to collaborating closely on these issues,” Trudeau said, without elaborating.
Media reports said in January that Garratt had been indicted in Dandong, a city in China’s northeast right on the border with North Korea, where the Garratts had operated a Christian coffee shop since 2008.
The reports said Chinese authorities had found evidence that Garratt worked with Canadian espionage agencies to gather intelligence in China.
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