China investigates Canadian couple suspected of stealing state secrets
By Katie Hunt, CNN

Hong Kong (CNN) -- A Canadian couple living in a city close to China's border with North Korea are under investigation for the suspected theft of state secrets, state media said Tuesday.

Kevin and Julia Garratt, who run a cafe in the northeastern city of Dandong, are suspected of stealing information about China's "military and national defense research," according to a brief report released by China's official news agency Xinhua.

 

It is not clear whether the pair have been detained. Calls to their café, Peter's Coffee House, were not answered on Tuesday morning.

Xinhua said that the State Security Bureau in Dandong was investigating the case.

Full story: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/05/world/asia/china-canada-secrets/index.html

[cnnews]2014-08-05[/cnnews]

Julia... who is Peter?

BS, this is just a BS charge to take revenge against Canada for exposing PRC's state-sponsored organized theft from Canadian innovators. A most nefarious government they have up in Beijing.

tit for tat

tit for tat

Except for the fact that there is nothing Canada needs that PRC has (well, besides its current supply of cash), whereas PRC needs plenty from functional countries like Canada as evidenced by its spy programs, immigration, etc. This is just another case of foreigns being put on the grill, just like the McD's chicken supply deal last week, people in China know very well that the standard of food at places like KFC and McD's in China is significantly higher than the average place Ch. eat at. My Chinese friends say so as well, it's being done for purely politics/face-saving reasons rather than concrete evidence (as in the case of the corporate espionage cases in Germany, Canada, US, etc., against SOE spying from PRC). Hey, at least one thing they're doing is making the NSA spying look benevolent by comparison.

Understanding the Chinese is easy really.  Their basic philosophy is........find something that works and is profitable and just do it better.  There is no thought of who owns what.  Just can I do it better and make money.  They simply cannot understand the fuss about ownership.  If you can't keep it from being stolen then you shouldn't have it.  Basic one oh one.  The rest is just a game that they love to play.

They haven't done it as well as Koreans have though. Plus this mentality provides no reward for innovators, so guess what - most of the Chinese who are capable (or have the $$ through whatever means) want to leave.