China prosecutor says ‘without a doubt’ Canadians violated the law

China's top prosecutor said there is "no doubt" that two Canadian citizens detained in the country violated its laws and regulations and that both men remain under investigation.

Authorities in Beijing had previously said the two men, Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat and an adviser with the International Crisis Group (ICG) think-tank, and businessman Michael Spavor, were suspected of endangering state security.

"The investigation is in line with the due process of law, and we believe it will proceed accordingly," Zhang Jun, procurator-general of China's Supreme People's Procuratorate, said during a briefing in Beijing on Thursday (January 3).

China has said the Canadians are being held on grounds of threatening national security. They have been detained for more than three weeks without a hearing.

“Without a doubt, these two Canadian citizens in China violated our country’s laws and regulations, and are currently undergoing investigation according to the procedure,” Zhang said.

The two were detained after Canadian police arrested Huawei Technologies Co Ltd’s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou on December 1 in Vancouver, at the request of the United States.

U.S. prosecutors have accused her of misleading banks about transactions linked to Iran, putting the banks at risk of violating sanctions.

Neither China nor Canada have directly linked the two men's cases, but they led to speculation of retaliation for Meng's arrest.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month called the detentions "not acceptable" and said they were an example of worrying fallout from the unprecedented trade war between the US and China.

The Chinese government has only given vague details about the detention of the two Canadians. It has demanded that Canada free her and threatened unspecified consequences if it does not.

Under Chinese criminal procedure law, special forms of detention and interrogation can be used for state security suspects.

China touts the rule of law, but its judicial system is tightly controlled by the ruling Communist Party.

Rights groups say conditions in Chinese detention facilities are often basic and can be harsh, with lack of legal representation and due process compounding worries about treatment.