Canada “will not be intimidated” by China, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said after the Chinese government said it was sending a Canadian diplomat out of the country.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trudeau said his administration made the decision to expel Zhao Wei, a Chinese diplomat based in Toronto, this week after “careful consideration”.
Hours later, Beijing announced it would expel Jennifer Lynn Lalonde, the Canadian consul in Shanghai, in a “mutual countermeasure”.
“WWe understand that there will be retaliation, but we will not be intimidated. We will continue to do whatever is necessary to protect Canadians from foreign interference,” Trudeau said Tuesday, adding that his administration had considered Beijing could retaliate.
“But we decided we had to move forward in a responsible way to send a very clear message that we will not accept foreign interference, and no matter what next choices they make, we will not be intimidated,” said the Canadian Prime Minister.
“Moreover, we will make sure that China continues to see — along with other countries engaged in foreign interference — that we take this extremely seriously.”
The Trudeau government is under pressure to take action after the Globe and Mail newspaper reported earlier this month that China sought information on any family members of a Canadian lawmaker “who may be within its borders.”
The move was likely part of an effort to “set an example for this MP and deter others” from taking anti-Chinese positions, the paper said, citing Canada’s espionage agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. (CSIS).
Zhao, the Chinese diplomat, was accused of being involved in the plan.
While the CSIS report did not name the legislator, The Globe said a national security source identified the targeted politician as Michael Chong, a member of Canada’s Conservative Opposition Party.
Chong was sanctioned by China in 2021 after he led a Canadian parliamentary motion labeling the country’s treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority in the western province of Xinjiang as “genocide” – a charge long dismissed by the Chinese government.
China has dismissed allegations of meddling in Canada’s internal affairs and accused Ottawa of expelling Zhao “on the basis of rumours” that have been “hyped by some politicians and media”.
“This has seriously violated international law, basic standards of international relations and related bilateral agreements and sabotaged relations between China and Canada,” the Chinese embassy in Ottawa said in a statement. rack on Monday night.
“China never meddles in the internal affairs of other countries. The so-called “China Interference” is totally baseless, which is the outright defamation of China and the political manipulation driven by ideological bias. Such provocations from the Canadian side have seriously undermined the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese diplomatic and consular personnel.”
Contrary to the description of the Chinese embassy’s affairs, Canadian lawmakers from all major parties have accused Beijing of being involved in a years-long campaign of intimidation targeting members of the Chinese-Canadian community — particularly those who have spoken out against the Chinese government policy.
“We have known for years that the PRC [People’s Republic of China] uses its accredited diplomats here in Canada to attack Canadians and their families,” said Chong, the conservative lawmaker at the center of the most recent allegations.
“I hope this makes it clear not only to the People’s Republic of China, but other authoritarian states represented here in Canada, that this crossing of the diplomatic line into threats of foreign interference here on Canadian soil is completely unacceptable,” he told reporters on Monday.
Relations between China and Canada have been frosty for several years, especially after Canadian authorities detained Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou in 2018 on an arrest warrant issued by the United States. China subsequently arrested two Canadians on espionage charges.
Although the standoff ended when all three people were released in 2021, relations have remained sour over several points of contention, including human rights and trade.
Meanwhile, Ottawa continues to receive calls to investigate other alleged cases of Chinese interference, including attempts to interfere in Canadian elections and the use of secret “police stations” in Canada. Beijing has rejected those allegations.