Chinese Premier Li Keqiang promised yesterday that a Canadian Christian jailed on suspicion of spying two years ago would be treated humanely and lawfully.
Kevin Garrett ran a Christian coffee shop in Dandong, on the border with North Korea, and worked with North Korean refugees. Chinese state media said authorities had found evidence that Garratt worked with Canadian espionage agencies to gather intelligence in China. He was detained in August 2014 with his wife Julie, who was later released.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Beijing, Li said: "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."
He 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."
In a statement, Garrett's family said they were "extremely frustrated and disappointed" by the lack of progress over the issue. The statement said the family "implores the Canadian and Chinese leadership to set aside their differences and reach a resolution to allow Kevin to exit China and obtain critically needed medical treatment and to return to his family". It continued: "We appreciate the fact that both governments recognise Kevin's fragile medical condition and that his further incarceration would be detrimental to his health."
Trudeau said: "The foundation of a strong relationship is being able to be frank and open about concerns, questions and issues to work on together.
"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."
