Relations between China and Canada are heating up after the two countries expelled diplomats from each other. Pictures/Illustrations
Canada expelled Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei on Monday after an intelligence report accused him of trying to target a Canadian lawmaker who criticized China’s treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority.
“We will not tolerate any form of foreign interference,” Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said Monday.
In response to Canada’s decision, which it called unreasonable, China told Jennifer Lynn Lalonde, consul at the Canadian consulate in Shanghai, to leave China on May 13, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry in a statement.
“China reserves the right to respond further,” the statement added. France 24Tuesday (9/5/2023).
Diplomatic tensions have escalated since the 2018 detention of Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou and Beijing’s arrest of two Canadians accused of spying. All three were later released in 2021.
Last year, Beijing lifted a three-year ban on imports of canola, Canada’s biggest crop, from trading companies Richardson International and Viterra. The restrictions followed Meng’s arrest, but China raised concerns about the parasites. China is also a major importer of Canadian potash and wheat.
Canada’s spy agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), produced a 2021 report on Chinese influence in Canada that included information on potential threats against Conservative MP Michael Chong and his family. .
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