The ‘Uyghur Turk’ crisis between China and Canada
In mainland China, a diplomat at the Chinese Consulate General in Toronto announced that he declared a lawmaker “persona non grata” (persona non grata) for attempting to threaten him.
Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said in a statement that any interference in the country’s internal affairs is not acceptable and that diplomats in Canada have been warned they would be sent back if they resorted to such behaviour. Noting that Cao Vey, a Chinese diplomat stationed in Toronto, was declared “persona non grata”, Minister Joly said, “This decision was made considering all relevant factors. We will continue our determination to protect our democracy,” he said.
‘THEY WANTED TO PREVENT THEIR CRITICISM ABOUT THE UYGUR’
The “Globe and Mail” newspaper reported last week that the Canadian intelligence agency CSIS, the Chinese government, is looking for ways to threaten relatives living in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to put pressure on Conservative Party MP Michael Chong in 2021. He claimed to have acquired the knowledge.
In the news, it was claimed that China tried in this way to silence the MP who criticized rights violations against the Uyghur minority living in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
The threats coincide with the date that the Canadian parliament passed a resolution describing the treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang as “genocide” in 2021. Chong was among the MPs who introduced the draft resolution to parliament.
In his statement, Chong claimed that the government was late in its decision, saying, “This should have been done years ago. I hope this has sent a clear message not only to the People’s Republic of China, but to all authoritarian states that have representation in Canada, that it is not acceptable on Canadian soil to threaten to interfere in internal affairs by crossing the line of diplomatic activity. . .”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking in the UK on Sunday for the coronation of King Charles, said: “This is a very serious and important problem. This decision should not be taken lightly. The Foreign Minister is keeping an eye on this,” he said.
Following calls for the diplomat’s expulsion, Foreign Minister Joly stressed that Beijing should be cautious about any steps that could threaten the security of Canadian citizens and economic relations in China after the expulsion decision.
CHINESE REACTION
In a statement, the Chinese embassy in Ottawa argued that the Canadian government’s decision violated international law and harmed relations between China and Canada.
Claiming that the accusations of interference in internal affairs are political manipulation aimed at smearing China with ideological bias, the statement read: “We condemn the decision and protest on the Canadian side. The Chinese side will take decisive countermeasures, and the Canadian side will suffer the consequences.
Previously, it was claimed that China tried to influence the federal parliamentary elections in Canada in 2019 and 2021, and that it financed some candidates who participated in the elections with a covert network. (AA)