China and Canada are fighting again and expelling each other’s diplomats. Be Canada yesterday the exit of the Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei, today it was Beijing’s turn to expel a Canadian. The honor goes to the Canadian consul in Shanghai, Jennifer Lynn Lalonde. Lalonde has until May 13 to pack his bags and plane.
The Globe and Mail, a Canadian newspaper, recently published a report by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. He says Zhao Wei lobbied a Canadian MP of Chinese descent and his family in Hong Kong a few years ago. The member of parliament in question, Michael Chong, had pushed for a motion characterizing the Chinese government’s treatment of Uyghurs as genocide. The motion passed in 2021, much to Chinese irritation.
Interference
“We will not tolerate any form of foreign interference in our internal affairs. Diplomats in Canada have been warned that if they engage in this kind of behavior they will be sent home,” Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said in response to the expulsion.
“We have known for years that the People’s Republic of China uses its diplomats accredited here in Canada to target Canadians and their families,” Chong said at a news conference. “I hope this makes it clear not only to the People’s Republic of China, but also to other authoritarian states represented here in Canada, that crossing the line from diplomacy into foreign interference here on Canadian soil is completely unacceptable.”
Relationship soured
The relationship between the two countries has been frozen for several years. This started with the 2018 arrest by Canadian authorities of Huawei CEO Meng Wanzhou. She was arrested on a US warrant, China in turn subsequently arrested two Canadians on espionage charges. This standoff ended when all three people were released in 2021, but relations have soured since then. The common thread running through that soured relationship are human rights, trade and the secret police stations that Beijing uses abroad to exert influence and control Chinese citizens.
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
