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A Canadian has been detained in eastern China, a government official confirmed Sunday, amid a deepening diplomatic row between Beijing and Ottawa.

But the reason for the arrest remained a mystery.

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“Global Affairs Canada is aware of the detention of a Canadian citizen in Yantai, China,” a Global Affairs Canada spokesman said in an email.

“Canadian officials are providing consular assistance to the Canadian citizen.”

The spokesman would not provide any additional information, including the identity of the Canadian or whether the detention might be related to the recent arrests of more than a dozen foreigners in another part of eastern China.

Last week, Chinese authorities in Xuzhou, about 600 kilometres southwest of Yantai, announced they had arrested 19 people — including seven foreign teachers and nine foreign students — on suspicion of drug use.

Adam Bickelman, a spokesman for EF Education First, a Swiss-based company that organizes study abroad trips and cultural exchanges, confirmed in an email Sunday that the seven teachers worked for the company and that the company was taking the allegations very seriously and co-operating with authorities. He declined to provide a list of the teachers’ nationalities.