Canadian woman detained in China has returned home

Source: CBC News, 28/12/2018

Alberta teacher Sarah McIver, right, was the third Canadian
detained in China this month. China and Canada said the detention
of Sarah McIver didn`t appear to be related to the detention of
the two other Canadians. (Facebook)
Sarah McIver, a Canadian teacher who was detained in China earlier
this month, has returned to Canada after being released from
custody, Global Affairs Canada says.
`Global Affairs can confirm that a Canadian citizen, who was
detained in China this month, has been released and has now
returned to Canada,` spokesperson Richard Walker said in an email.
`Due to the provisions under the Privacy Act, no further
information can be disclosed.`
McIver`s aunt, Rhona McIver, told CBC News that the Alberta
woman`s mother and sister had travelled to Vancouver to pick her
up and that the family is `thrilled` she is back home.
Earlier this month, McIver became the third Canadian detained in
China in recent weeks. She was held over a work-permit issue
related to her teaching job and was sentenced to administrative
punishment for illegal employment, according to a spokesperson for
the Chinese government.
McIver`s arrest came just days after the detentions of Canadians
Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, though both Canada and China
insisted her case is different from that of the two men.
Tensions have been high between Canada and China since the Dec. 1
arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese
telecom giant Huawei Technologies.
Canada made the arrest at the Vancouver International Airport at
the request of the U.S. officials, who accuse her of violating
trade sanctions on Iran. Meng has since been released on bail
pending extradition proceedings.

Canadian businessman Michael Spavor, left, and Canadian diplomat
Michael Kovrig were taken into custody on allegations of
endangering China`s national security, officials in that country
say. (Associated Press/ International Crisis Group/Canadian Press)
Not long after the tech executive`s arrest, Chinese officials
confirmed Kovrig and Spavor had been detained separately in China
on national security concerns.
Chinese officials have not exactly said that the two men are in
custody in retaliation for Meng`s arrest, but they have pointedly
linked the cases, insisting at length that Meng`s arrest was
illegal and an international affront, while Kovrig and Spavor have
been detained properly under Chinese law.
Kovrig is a Canadian diplomat currently on leave from Global
Affairs as he serves as an adviser to the International Crisis
Group think-tank, while Spavor is a businessman who arranges tours
of North Korea.
Canada and its allies have been pushing back against the
detentions, with Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland saying
last week that the government is `deeply concerned` by the
`arbitrary detention` of the two men.
Global Affairs did not say when McIver was released or when
exactly she returned to Canada.