China recently released a Canadian citizen convicted of spying. He had been detained for two years. Now, Canada's Foreign Minister Stephane Dion has clarified that the country did not make any concession to China to secure the release. There had been rumors that China was seeking a free trade deal, the extradition of corrupt officials from Canada, and lax investment rules in return for the release.

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Kevin Garratt, a Canadian, was charged in January with the counts of stealing state secrets and spying on the Chinese government. He was convicted this Tuesday but was promptly released on bail. On Thursday, he was deported back to Canada. China currently does not have any extradition treaty with Canada.

Reuters reported that Garratt's lawyer described the release as "a constant, unrelenting process of lobbying various players in both governments to keep the discussions alive." The lawyer claims that the head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service visited Beijing to aid the process. Canadian Security Intelligence Service has not commented on the rumors about the agreement.

According to Yahoo, China also does not have any extradition treaty with the United States and Australia either. Chinese state media consider these countries to be the most popular destinations for corrupt ex-officials attempting to escape the prosecution of the Chinese government.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had raised Garratt case during his official trip to China this month. Both countries are looking to boost their ties. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang would pay a visit to Canada next week.

Tagschina, Canada, Kevin Garratt, Le Keqiang, Stephane Dion