Ottawa: China on Tuesday expelled a Canadian diplomat in Shanghai, a day after the Canadian government announced to expel a Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei for threatening Conservative MP Michael D. Chong and his Hong Kong-based relatives.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said that Canada has declared Toronto-based diplomat Wei a “disapproval”. “We will not accept any kind of foreign interference in our internal affairs. Diplomats in Canada have already been warned that they will be sent home if they behave like this.”
It is worth mentioning that the Conservatives had proposed that some diplomats should be expelled and the government should conduct a public inquiry into foreign interference. Most MPs are also in favour of the resolution. Joly’s statement also came only after this resolution.
The demand for Zhao Wei’s expulsion began last week after a report by the Globe and Mail and CSIS said that in 2021, the Chinese government began to find ways to intimidate Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong. The report was confirmed by the federal government.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters that this is a very serious and important issue. It cannot be taken lightly and the external affairs minister is trying to deal with it very carefully.