China's top prosecutor says two Canadians detained after Canada arrested a Chinese technology company executive had "without a doubt" violated the law.
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.
"Without a doubt, these two Canadian citizens in China violated our country's laws and regulations, and are currently undergoing investigation according to procedure," Zhang Jun, China's prosecutor general, said on Thursday.
Zhang said the investigation process had been handled "strictly" according to law when asked by Reuters at a briefing when the two men might be charged. He did not elaborate.
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.
US prosecutors have accused her of misleading banks about transactions linked to Iran, putting the banks at risk of violating sanctions.
The Chinese government has demanded Canada free her and threatened unspecified consequences if it does not.
Canada has said several times it saw no explicit link between the arrest of Meng, the daughter of Huawei's founder, and the detentions of Kovrig and Spavor.
But Beijing-based Western diplomats and former Canadian diplomats have said they have no doubt the cases are linked.
Canada has said the detentions are unacceptable and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said China should free the men.
China touts the rule of law, but its judicial system is tightly controlled by the ruling Communist Party.
