Chinese police officers stand guard outside the Canadian embassy in Beijing on December 10, 2018. (Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images)

China says 3rd Canadian detained for ‘illegal employment’

Chinese authorities have sentenced a Canadian teacher who recently became the third Canadian detained in China this month to administrative punishment for work visa violations, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

Hua Chunying told reporters during a briefing in Beijing that Sarah McIver was “imposed administrative penalty” for “illegal employment” but she did not provide further details on what that means.

China and Canada maintain unimpeded consular communication and the Chinese side will provide necessary assistance for the Canadian officials to fulfill normal consular duties, Hua said.

Global Affairs Canada said that as of Thursday morning, officials still had not had consular access to McIver.

Over the weekend, Canadian officials were granted consular access to two Canadians detained earlier this month on allegations they endangered China’s national security.

Arrests not linked

Michae Korvig (R) and Michael Spavor (L) were arrested by Chines authorities on Dec. 10, 2018 on suspicion of “endangering national security.” (AP/International Crisis Group)

Former diplomat Michael Kovrig and China-based entrepreneur Michael Spavor were arrested on Dec. 10, days after Canada arrested the chief financial officer of Chinese telecom giant Huawei Meng Wanzhou at the request of U.S. authorities.

Canada’s ambassador to China, John McCallum, was allowed to visit Kovrig last Friday and Spavor on Sunday.

Hua said McIvor’s arrest isn’t linked to national security issues, as is the case with Kovrig and Spavor.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made similar comments during a year-end news conference in Ottawa on Wednesday.

“We’ve only got the preliminary indications … that it’s not linked to a matter of national security for the Chinese,” he said.

“The two situations are very different. The allegations of national security problems, even objectively, are very different from a routine case or a problem with a visa or something of that nature.”

With files from CBC News

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