TIMESINDONESIA, JAKARTA – China regards Canada’s act of expelling its diplomats as a serious violation of international relations laws and norms.
China has said it will retaliate against Canada in this case. China has also condemned and strongly protested the expulsion of its diplomats from Canada, due to accusations of intimidation and alleged interference in Canadian elections.
“We promise to take countermeasures,” said the Chinese Embassy in Canada on Tuesday (05/09/2023), quoted by ANTARA.
Canada announced on Monday (05/08/2023) that Toronto-based Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei is “persona non grata”, meaning the Chinese diplomat is not wanted and therefore cannot be in the country.
“I have been clear, we do not tolerate any form of foreign interference in our internal affairs,” Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said Monday, quoted by CNN.
“Diplomats in Canada have been warned that if they commit such acts they will be sent home,” Joly said, arguing.
In addition to allegations of election interference, Zhao is suspected of spying and intimidating Canadian politician Michael Chong and his family in Hong Kong, The Canadian Press reported Tuesday.
Chong has long been known for his harsh condemnation of Beijing’s treatment of the Uighur Muslim ethnic minority in China’s southwestern Xinjiang Autonomous Region.
The Chinese Embassy stressed that it has never interfered in the internal affairs of other countries, including Canada.
Allegations of Chinese interference in Canada’s internal affairs are groundless, says the Chinese Embassy.
The Embassy considers that the Canadian side deliberately provokes and obstructs the rights and interests of Chinese diplomats.
Previously, the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China (MFA) lodged a protest through the Canadian Embassy in Beijing against the summoning of the Chinese Ambassador to Canada and the threats of expulsion of Chinese diplomats and consular officers.
Chinese diplomats and consular officials in Canada are very strict in performing their duties in accordance with international conventions and bilateral agreements between China and Canada, the Chinese Embassy said.
Relations between China and Canada have yet to fully recover, although Huawei tycoon Meng Wanzhou was released from a Canadian prison in 2021 after being detained for three years.
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