File photo: Global Times

Two Canadian citizens were arrested and prosecuted on suspicion of crimes endangering China's national security, which were not "arbitrary detention" or "retaliation" for Meng Wanzhou's case, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a press briefing in response to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's call for an end to the case of the two Canadian citizens.

"Recent erroneous remarks by the Canadian side clearly show that the latter pursues a double standard on so-called judicial independence," Zhao said. "China urges relevant Canadian leaders to respect China's judicial sovereignty and stop making irresponsible remarks."

"The case of Meng Wanzhou is totally different from the case of the Canadian citizens. It is clear that Meng's case is a serious political matter. The aim is to crush Chinese high-tech companies, with Canada acting as an accomplice," he added.

China strongly urges Canada to correct its mistake as soon as possible and immediately release Meng for her safe return, Zhao added.

(Compiled by Zhu Yurou)