Kevin and Julia Dawn Garratt caught in 'political mess' in China

Kevin and Julia Dawn Garratt, the Canadian couple accused of stealing Chinese military and intelligence information, may be caught up in a political fight between China and Canada, one oftheir sons told CBC News Network.

Simeon Garratt, who grew up in China but now lives in Vancouver, said it appears the investigation into his parents has little to do with them.

"It just seems like my parents are caught up in sort of a political mess and its not actually anything to do with them. It just happens to be that theyre Canadians and fit the type of people that needed to be made an example of," Garratt said in an interview on Tuesday.

"I think its just the relations between Canada and China right now are quite heated, especially over all the hacking accusations that have gone on over the last two weeks ... from what I can tell, the actual accusations have nothing to do with my parents, its just that they happen to be Canadian in a place of vulnerability."

• Chinese cyberattack hits Canada's National Research Council

Canadian officials last week alleged the Chinese government was behind a "highly sophisticated" cyber attackonthe National Research Council.

Garratt said he had just spoken with Canadian foreign affairs officials, who were still trying to arrange to speak to his parents. He said he's "pretty worried" and that the allegations aren't to be taken lightly.

Son to bequestioned

Chinese authorities have requested that Peter Garratt, one ofKevin and Julia Dawn Garratt's sons,come in for questioning. He lives in Dandong, China, with his parents.

Peter said in an email to CBC News that he received a call from the State Security Bureau in Dandong asking him to come in.

"They also asked me to pick up some clothes and toiletries for them, so I assume they are at the bureau," he wrote.

Simeon Garratt said his brother has been assigned a minder who's checking in onhim.

The Garratts were identified as suspects by the official Xinhua news agencyin a brief report on Monday.Xinhuasaidthe State Security Bureau ofDandong, a city in northeastLiaoningprovince, was investigating the case, adding it involved the stealing of state secrets.

China'sForeign Ministry said the Canadian Embassy in Beijing was notified on Monday and that the couple's"various rights have been fully guaranteed."

"KevinGarrattand his wife ... are suspected of collectingand stealing intelligence materials related to Chinese militarytargets and important Chinese national defence scientificresearch programs, and engaging in activities that endangerChina's national security," the Foreign Ministry said in a short statement.

'It sounds ridiculous'

In an earlier, on-air interview with CBC News Network, Peter Garratt said he had last heard from his parents more than24 hours earlier,when they texted him about going out fordinner. He saidthe accusations against his parents are the first problem they've had during their decades in the country, where they moved in the mid-1980s to teach English. They now own a coffee shop in Dandong, a city near the border with North Korea.

"It sounds ridiculous," Peter Garrattsaid. "Military secrets? It sounds like something out of a movie or something. Those are the accusations, but I have no idea where they are coming from or how it even came about.

Peter said he has spent most of his life in China and when he heard the news Tuesday, he thought it was a joke.

"I know that Im being watched because my phone isnt working properly, my email, everythings been acting up weird, even my Skype, but I have nothing to hide, so Im not worried about anything," he said.

China's state secrets law is notoriously broad, covering everything from industry data to the exact birth dates of state leaders. Information can also be labelled a state secret retroactively.In severe cases, the theft of state secrets is punishable with life in prison or the death penalty.

'I didn't think it was real'

In a separate interview Tuesday,SimeonGarratttoldCBC News thathe only learned of the investigation after receiving messages from friends on various social media networks expressing concern and links to local media reports. Believing at first the messages were spam, he called his brother Peter, who confirmed he had not heard from his parents for some time.

"I didn't know how to react, to be honest. I didn't think it was real," he said.

Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs said Monday it is trying get more information. The department said consular officials are ready to provide assistance.

In an updated statement Tuesday morning, the department confirmed its officials are working on the case.

"Canadian consular officials are providing assistance to two Canadian citizens who have been placed under investigation in China. We are in contact with local authorities and are monitoring developments closely," a spokeswoman wrote in an emailed statement.

"To protect the private and personal information of the individuals concerned, further details on this case cannot be released."

The family has yet to receive any word on whether formal charges will be laid, butSimeonGarratt called the news of the investigation concerning, because Chinese authorities "don't need a reason to do what they want to do."

"The possibilities start running through your mind."

The suggestion that his parents may have been involved in the theft of state secrets is "absolutely absurd," he continued.

"I think a lot of this has been blown out of proportion."

Uneven relationship between Canada, China

Last week,Canada blamedChinese hackers for infiltrating computers at the National Research Councilof Canada, something the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa denied.

A spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird saidthe minister took up the matter with Chinese officials in Beijing during his visit to Asia.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper'sgovernment has had anuneven relationship with Beijing since taking power in 2006.

Citing human rights concerns, Harperinitially kept his distance from China. Under pressure frombusiness in Canada, he sought to reach out to Beijing.

China is Canada's second most important trading partnerafter the United States, and bilateral trade is growing. Total
Canada-China trade was $69.8 billion in 2012 and $72.9 billionin 2013, according to official Canadian data.

In July, Chinese prosecutors charged British corporateinvestigator Peter Humphrey and his American wife Yu Yingzeng
for illegally obtaining private information. The couple wasdetained last year following work the two did for the British
drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK), and their trial isset to start Friday in Shanghai.