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China 'investigating Canada couple over state secrets' China 'investigating Canada couple over state secrets'
(about 3 hours later)
Chinese authorities are investigating a Canadian couple suspected of stealing state secrets about national defence and the military, state media say.Chinese authorities are investigating a Canadian couple suspected of stealing state secrets about national defence and the military, state media say.
In a brief report, Xinhua news agency named the suspects as Kevin and Julia Garratt. Xinhua news agency named the suspects as Kevin and Julia Garratt. The couple run a coffee shop in Dandong just across the border from North Korea.
The State Security Bureau in Dandong was investigating the case, it said. Xinhua said Dandong's State Security Bureau was investigating the case.
The couple run a coffee shop in Dandong just across the border from North Korea, Canadian newspaper the Globe and Mail reported. But the couple's son Simeon told the BBC the charges were "absurd" and made "absolutely no sense".
The couple taught in southern China for several years and then moved to Dandong in 2008, where they opened Peter's Coffee House, the paper said. The couple taught in southern China for several years and then moved to Dandong, where they opened Peter's Coffee House.
According to its website, the coffee shop is "only meters from the border of North Korea and Dandong's Friendship Bridge" and is "the perfect stop off while en route to or returning from the Hermit Kingdom".
Xinhua did not say whether the couple had been detained. A call from the BBC to the coffee shop was not answered.
Dandong is the main China-North Korea border crossing and trade link.Dandong is the main China-North Korea border crossing and trade link.
The Xinhua report did not say whether the couple had been detained.
Simeon Garratt, 27, told the BBC's Celia Hatton in Beijing that his parents had been uncontactable since Monday night.
"They were going to dinner with a couple of friends, and sometime between dinner and later that night, their phones were turned off and no one has really heard from them (since)," he said.
Mr Garratt called the charges "a joke", adding: "I thought it was absurd. It makes absolutely no sense."
He said his parents are "pretty regular people (who) don't have any ties to military or even governments or even anything like that".
Besides running the cafe, the couple regularly held community events for people to practise their English and helped people to get in touch with North Korea tour organisers, said Mr Garratt.
"Because they have been into North Korea a number of times, they just know the ropes and they're willing to help some friends who are going into North Korea," he said.
His parents speak both English and Mandarin and have developed a relationship with tour organisers.
"That's pretty much the extent of it. There's no business they operate that sends people into North Korea or anything like that," said Mr Garratt, who is a real estate agent living in Vancouver.
According to its website, the coffee shop is "only meters from the border of North Korea and Dandong's Friendship Bridge" and is "the perfect stop off while en route to or returning from the Hermit Kingdom".
Canada's embassy in Beijing told Reuters news agency it was aware of the reports and stood "ready to provide assistance as required".Canada's embassy in Beijing told Reuters news agency it was aware of the reports and stood "ready to provide assistance as required".
Late last month, Canada announced that a top government research organisation had been struck by Chinese "state-sponsored" hackers.Late last month, Canada announced that a top government research organisation had been struck by Chinese "state-sponsored" hackers.
The Chinese embassy in Ottawa said dismissed the report as a "groundless allegation". The Chinese embassy in Ottawa dismissed the report as a "groundless allegation".