Canada and China have each expelled a diplomat in a dispute over a possible Chinese attempt to threaten a Canadian parliamentarian.
Ottawa/Beijing – In exchange for the expulsion of Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei from Canada the day before, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted immediately on Tuesday and asked a Canadian diplomat from Shanghai to leave the People’s Republic.
The background to the dispute is a Canadian intelligence report on Toronto diplomat Zhao Wei’s role in trying to gather information about MP Michael Chong’s family in Hong Kong in order to target them for ‘political sanctions’. , according to news reports. The trigger was his criticism of the persecution of the Uyghur Muslim minority in the northwest region of Xinjiang.
The controversy is another strain on the already strained relationship between the two countries. “We will not tolerate any interference in our internal affairs,” said Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly. The Chinese Foreign Ministry saw an “unscrupulous action” and reserved the right to take further action. (dpa)
“Internet evangelist. Extreme communicator. Subtly charming alcohol aficionado. Typical tv geek.”