Earlier in the day, broadcaster CBC identified the citizen as teacher Sarah McIver.China's Foreign Ministry said this month that McIver was undergoing "administrative punishment" for working illegally.McIver was the third Canadian to be detained by China following the Dec. 1 arrest in Vancouver of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, but a Canadian official said there was no reason to believe that the woman's detention was linked to the earlier arrests.Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland did not mention the woman last week in calling for the release of the other two Canadians detained on suspicion of endangering state security. It is not known where the two are being held. They have each only been allowed to see Canadian diplomats once since being detained.China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement sent to Reuters that it was aware of reports McIver had been released, and referred further questions to the "relevant authority". It did not elaborate.Neither China nor Canada has drawn a direct connection between the Meng case and the cases of the two other Canadians.China has demanded Canada free Meng, who is fighting extradition to the United States, where she would face fraud charges that carry a maximum sentence of 30 years jail for each charge. Meng has said she is innocent.Her arrest has also heaped uncertainty on efforts by Washington and Beijing to reduce tensions in their trade war.

Source: Egypt Today December 29, 2018 13:30 UTC