Third Canadian detained in China: Report

As tensions between the two countries escalates over the arrest of Huawei's Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou's arrest, a third Canadian citizen has been detained in China, news agency Reuters reported on Wednesday citing a local newspaper report.

China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, in a news briefing in Beijing, however said that she is unaware of the report.

Earlier this month, China detained two Canadian businessmen Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat and an adviser with the International Crisis Group (ICG), after police arrested Meng on December 1 in Vancouver.

They were arrested for "threatening national security".

Whether the third arrest is linked to Meng's case is not yet known.

China's relations with Canada have nosedived in the past week after Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou was arrested on December 1st on the insistence of US officials for allegedly carrying out transactions with Iran despite US sanctions.

Meng meanwhile has denied any wrongdoing.

Last Wednesday, Meng was released on a 7.5 million bail on a condition that she has to stay in Canada.

Meanwhile, Canadian PM Trudeau, in his strongest comments on the matter to date has said that China's detention of the two men is "not acceptable."