Report by Tribunnews reporter Fitri Wulandari
TRIBUNNEWS.COM, OTTAWA – Canada has expelled a Chinese diplomat accused of interfering in the country’s internal affairs.
The nation led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has declared official ‘persona non grata’ status as China pledges to respond with ‘decisive countermeasures’.
Quoted on the Russia Today page on Tuesday (05/09/2023), Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly announced the decision on Monday.
He said Chinese consular official Zhao Wei was no longer welcome in the country.
“We will not tolerate any form of foreign interference in our internal affairs. All diplomats in Canada have been warned that if they engage in this type of behavior they will be sent home,” Joly said.
The decision comes just days after Canadian media reported that Zhao was seeking information about Conservative MP Michael Chong and one of his relatives who may be living in China.
Indeed, China would like to “teach a lesson” for its criticism of the Chinese government.
The Chinese Embassy in Canada later condemned the deportations and insisted that the charges against Zhao were “absolutely groundless” and that China had “never interfered in the internal affairs of others.” country”.
Read also : China expels Canadian diplomats in retaliation
“Canada’s claim is a ‘slander and a form of political manipulation motivated by ideological bias’. The Chinese side will take firm countermeasures,” the Chinese Embassy in Canada said.
Without specifying what the answer would be, diplomatic expulsions were often reciprocal acts.
This indicates that China could also repatriate the Canadian envoy.
Read also : ASEAN condemns attacks on Indonesian, Singaporean diplomats in Myanmar
Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the country’s intelligence services had withheld information on Chong, noting that the organization had concluded there was not enough urgency to share the information with senior officials.
However, he still ordered the spy service to report potential future threats immediately.
Meanwhile, Chong criticized the Canadian government, saying it shouldn’t take officials long to act.
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