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BEIJING (Reuters) – China on Tuesday expelled a Canadian diplomat in Shanghai with eye retaliation after Ottawa told a Toronto-based Chinese diplomat to leave the country, escalating already strained bilateral relations amid concerns about Chinese influence in Canada.
Canada on Monday expelled a Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei After an intelligence report accused him of trying to target a Canadian lawmaker who criticized China’s treatment of the Muslim Uighur minority.
“We will not tolerate any form of foreign interference,” Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie said on Monday.
In response to Canada’s “unreasonable actions,” China has asked Jennifer Lynn Lalonde, Consul of the Canadian Consulate in Shanghai, to leave China by May 13, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry in a statement.
The State Department added that China reserves the right to respond further.
Diplomatic tensions have escalated since the arrest of the Huawei Technologies CEO Meng Wanzhou In 2018, Beijing later arrested two Canadians on espionage charges. All three are released in 2021.
Last year, Beijing lifted a three-year ban on imports of canola, Canada’s largest crop, from trading firms Richardson International and Viterra. The restrictions followed Meng’s arrest, but China has expressed concerns about the pests. China is also a major importer of Canadian potash and wheat.
The Canadian Intelligence Agency for Security Intelligence (CSIS) authored a report in 2021 on Chinese influence in Canada that included information about potential threats to Conservative MP Michael Chung and his family.
Details of the CSIS report emerged on May 1, when Canada’s Globe and Mail reported that China had sought information about Zhong and his family in China in a possible attempt to “set him as an example” and deter others from taking on an anti-Chinese government. position.
“It shouldn’t have taken the government two years to make this decision,” Chung told reporters after the announcement.
China said it has never interfered in Canada’s internal affairs and has no interest in doing so. The Chinese Consulate General in Toronto said the report on Zhong “has no factual basis and is unfounded”.
The Globe, citing an unnamed national security source, said Zhao was involved in gathering information about Zhong, who in 2021 sponsored a successful motion declaring China’s genocide treatment of its Muslim Uyghur minority.
Chung said he was “deeply disappointed” when he learned of the potential threat to his family in Hong Kong from a newspaper, and criticized Trudeaugovernment for its inaction. He has repeatedly called for Zhao’s firing since the Globe report.
Trudeau said he learned of the intelligence report from the newspaper, and on Wednesday blamed the spy agency for not passing it on to him at the time.
The agency has now been directed to promptly transmit information about threats to members of Parliament and their families.
Canadian media has published several reports, citing anonymous intelligence sources, that have alleged schemes being run by the Chinese government to interfere in the recent Canadian elections. Beijing denied those allegations.
Trudeau said earlier that China tried to interfere in the 2019 and 2021 elections, but the efforts did not change the outcome. He has appointed an independent private investigator to investigate the allegations.
Canada on Monday expelled a Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei After an intelligence report accused him of trying to target a Canadian lawmaker who criticized China’s treatment of the Muslim Uighur minority.
“We will not tolerate any form of foreign interference,” Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie said on Monday.
In response to Canada’s “unreasonable actions,” China has asked Jennifer Lynn Lalonde, Consul of the Canadian Consulate in Shanghai, to leave China by May 13, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry in a statement.
The State Department added that China reserves the right to respond further.
Diplomatic tensions have escalated since the arrest of the Huawei Technologies CEO Meng Wanzhou In 2018, Beijing later arrested two Canadians on espionage charges. All three are released in 2021.
Last year, Beijing lifted a three-year ban on imports of canola, Canada’s largest crop, from trading firms Richardson International and Viterra. The restrictions followed Meng’s arrest, but China has expressed concerns about the pests. China is also a major importer of Canadian potash and wheat.
The Canadian Intelligence Agency for Security Intelligence (CSIS) authored a report in 2021 on Chinese influence in Canada that included information about potential threats to Conservative MP Michael Chung and his family.
Details of the CSIS report emerged on May 1, when Canada’s Globe and Mail reported that China had sought information about Zhong and his family in China in a possible attempt to “set him as an example” and deter others from taking on an anti-Chinese government. position.
“It shouldn’t have taken the government two years to make this decision,” Chung told reporters after the announcement.
China said it has never interfered in Canada’s internal affairs and has no interest in doing so. The Chinese Consulate General in Toronto said the report on Zhong “has no factual basis and is unfounded”.
The Globe, citing an unnamed national security source, said Zhao was involved in gathering information about Zhong, who in 2021 sponsored a successful motion declaring China’s genocide treatment of its Muslim Uyghur minority.
Chung said he was “deeply disappointed” when he learned of the potential threat to his family in Hong Kong from a newspaper, and criticized Trudeaugovernment for its inaction. He has repeatedly called for Zhao’s firing since the Globe report.
Trudeau said he learned of the intelligence report from the newspaper, and on Wednesday blamed the spy agency for not passing it on to him at the time.
The agency has now been directed to promptly transmit information about threats to members of Parliament and their families.
Canadian media has published several reports, citing anonymous intelligence sources, that have alleged schemes being run by the Chinese government to interfere in the recent Canadian elections. Beijing denied those allegations.
Trudeau said earlier that China tried to interfere in the 2019 and 2021 elections, but the efforts did not change the outcome. He has appointed an independent private investigator to investigate the allegations.
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