Canada expels Chinese diplomat, risks reprisals in feud

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(Bloomberg) The government of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has expelled a Chinese envoy from Canada, a move that could spark an economic or diplomatic backlash from Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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Special envoy Zhao Wei was named in a report last week in The Globe and Mail citing a leaked Canadian intelligence document. The newspaper reported that the document, dated July 2021, showed that the diplomat was considering punishing Conservative MP Michael Chong for his tough stance against the Beijing government, which may Chung’s relatives in Hong Kong need to be sanctioned.

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Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said in a statement on Monday that Zhao had been ordered to leave the country.

I have made it clear: We will not tolerate any form of foreign interference in our internal affairs. Diplomats in Canada have been warned that if they engage in such behaviour, they will be deported, she said. This decision was made after careful consideration of all influencing factors.

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The Chinese embassy in Ottawa immediately said it would retaliate.

A spokesperson who did not want to be named released a statement in Chinese on his website, saying that the Trudeau government’s move seriously violated international law and basic norms of international relations and deliberately undermined China-Canada relations.

The embassy said it had lodged a formal protest. China will resolutely take countermeasures, and Canada will bear all the consequences arising therefrom.

The May 1 report by The Globe and Mail sparked a storm of debate over why Chong was not told that China was targeting his family and why the diplomat was still allowed to work at the Toronto consulate.

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Trudeau told reporters that he was never told about the incident because the country’s intelligence agencies did not think it was serious enough to notify him. However, conflicting information has emerged that at least one of Trudeau’s security advisers has been told, even if the prime minister himself has not.

Jolis’ statement on Monday came as Canadian lawmakers voted on a Conservative Party motion calling on the government to expel all Chinese diplomats responsible for foreign interference. The non-binding motion passed despite members of the ruling Liberal Party voting against it.

Speaking in the House of Commons shortly after the diplomat was ousted, Chong insisted the Trudeau government had failed him. Chong said it is a serious matter to directly or indirectly intimidate members of the House of Representatives in order to influence the outcome of the debate, influence the outcome of the vote.

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The rise of authoritarianism has hobbled democracies over the past decade, he added. In this context, Chong said, it’s important to set an example for the world that we will not be intimidated, we will not be intimidated, and we will stand up for the democratic rights of Canadians.

Zhuang told reporters outside the Legislative Council that he had deliberately cut off contact with his family in Hong Kong to protect them.

On Friday, Trudeau said the expulsion of the diplomat would be a big step and that Jolly was studying potential consequences.

The foreign minister told a parliamentary committee she was assessing the possible backlash from the diplomatic expulsion, and singled out the two-Michael crisis, when Canada arrested a top Huawei Technologies Co Ltd executive on a U.S. extradition warrant, after which China would The two Canadians were detained for nearly three years.

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The Chong controversy is just the latest in a string of media reports this year alleging Chinese meddling in Canadian affairs, with Trudeau not responding forcefully enough.

Multiple reports said Trudeau had received intelligence briefings about China’s attempted interference in Canada’s 2019 and 2021 elections, which his Liberal Party won. Trudeau has declined to open a public inquiry into the matter, instead appointing a special rapporteur to review the evidence and decide whether an investigation is warranted.

With assistance from Jacob Gu.

(Update Chinese embassy’s response in paragraph 4.)