China expels Canadian diplomat in response to tit-for-tat

Residents walk past the Canadian Embassy in Beijing on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. China on Tuesday announced the expulsion of a Canadian diplomat, in retaliation for Ottawa ordering a Chinese consular official to leave the country over alleged threats against a Canadian lawmaker and her. Family. , Photo Credit: AP

China announced the expulsion of a Canadian diplomat on Tuesday in retaliation for Ottawa ordering a Chinese consulate official to leave the country. he allegedly threatened Against a Canadian MP and his family.

The foreign ministry said China was deploying a “reciprocal countermeasure to Canada’s dishonorable move”, which it said it “strongly opposes.”

It said Jennifer Lynn Lalonde, the top Canadian diplomat in the business hub of Shanghai, has been asked to leave by May 13 and that China “reserves the right to take further action in response.”

The Canadian Embassy in Beijing had no immediate comment on the expulsion order.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said after the Chinese move, “We understand there is retaliation but we will not be intimidated.” “We will continue to do everything we can to keep Canadians safe from foreign interference.”

Mr Trudeau’s government said it was expelling a Chinese diplomat accused by a Canadian spy agency of involvement in a plot to intimidate an opposition lawmaker and his relatives in Hong Kong.

China took control of the former British colony in 1997, and in recent years has effectively broken an agreement to preserve its unique political and civil rights for 50 years by dismantling its democratic institutions and a free press . China regularly uses threats against family members to intimidate critics in the Chinese diaspora.

A senior Canadian government official said Toronto-based diplomat Zhao Wei has five days to leave the country. It was not immediately clear whether Zhao was still in Canada.

Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie said in a statement that Canada declared Zhao “persona non grata” and that Canada “will not tolerate foreign interference of any kind in our internal affairs.”

“Diplomats in Canada have been warned that if they behave like this, they will be sent home,” she said.

Canada’s spy service indicated that in 2021, opposition Conservative MP Michael Chong and his Hong Kong relatives were targeted after Chong criticized Beijing’s human rights record. Canada’s spy agency has not publicly released the details.

Chong has been critical of Beijing’s treatment of members of the Turkic Muslim Uyghur ethnic group in China’s Xinjiang region, thousands of whom have been held in prison-like political re-education camps. China says attendance at vocational training centers is purely voluntary and aims to stem trends of Muslim extremism while teaching job skills.

Chong said that Zhao’s ouster should have happened years ago.

Chong said, “I hope this makes clear not only to the People’s Republic of China, but also to other authoritarian states that are represented here in Canada, that it is Canada’s duty to cross the line of diplomacy in activities that threaten foreign interference.” Totally unacceptable on Earth.” Said.

The senior Canadian government official said the week’s delay in announcing the expulsions was to allow the foreign minister to meet with cabinet colleagues who had trade-related responsibilities to prepare for any economic retaliation. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

In a statement posted on its website, the Chinese embassy in Ottawa said that Zhao’s expulsion was based on “rumours of so-called ‘China interference’, which were propagated by some politicians and the media.”

“It has seriously violated international law, the basic norms governing international relations and relevant bilateral agreements, and caused damage to China-Canada relations,” the statement said. It added that “all consequences arising out of this shall be borne by the Canadian side.”

It said, ‘China never interferes in the internal affairs of other countries.’

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin reiterated China’s rejection of the allegations and threats to take further action against Canada.

“China is unwavering in its determination to defend its own interests,” Wang told reporters at a daily briefing.

“We urge the Canadian side to immediately stop undue provocations. If Canada does not listen to the advice and acts recklessly, China will fight back resolutely and firmly, and the Canadian side will bear all consequences arising from this.” must bear.”

China has in recent years expelled members of foreign media in retaliation for their reporting or limits on members of the fully Communist Party-controlled Chinese state media stationed in the US and elsewhere.

Expulsion of diplomats is very rare. In 2020, China ordered the closure of the US consulate in the southwestern city of Chengdu in retaliation for Washington’s order to close the Chinese consulate in Houston, which it said was a center of state-sponsored commercial espionage . China denied the allegation.

The revelation about Chong is the latest in a string of foreign interference efforts in Canada in recent years, including the Chinese government’s alleged attempts to meddle in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

Trudeau has appointed former Governor General David Johnson to further study the issue, including whether a public inquiry is needed.

Sino-Canadian relations deteriorated after China detained former diplomat Michael Kovrig and entrepreneur Michael Spavor, shortly after Canada deported Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of telecom giant Huawei and daughter of the company’s founder, at the behest of US authorities. arrested, who accused him of fraud. ,

Several countries labeled China’s actions as “hostage politics”, while China accused Ottawa of arbitrary detention. The pair, who had been charged with unexplained national security crimes, were released hours after Meng’s lawyers ended a nearly 3-year-long tussle in Ottawa, Beijing and Washington over which she denied access to the company’s facilities in Iran. Had accepted responsibility for misrepresenting business dealings.