"Global Affairs Canada is aware of a Canadian citizen detained in China," spokesperson Richard Walker told BBC, without providing further details.

"Consular officials are providing assistance to the family," Walker added. 

Days after Chinese telecom company Huawei's executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada, Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat to China, and Michael Spavor, an entrepreneur, were detained on suspicion of posing threats to the security of China.

Wanzhou was arrested on Dec 1 on the request of US authorities.

The US claimed Wanzhou had misled multinational banks over Iran-linked transactions. It also said the CEO had kept the banks in risk of violating US sanctions. 

Though Wanzhou was granted a bail, she can still be extradited to the US.

A Canadian government official said there is no reason to think that the recent incident of detention is linked to the arrests of Kovrig and Spavor.