Ottawa: Canada has shown red eyes to China for interfering in internal affairs. Canada announced the expulsion of a Chinese diplomat on Monday. The Chinese diplomat was accused of trying to intimidate a Canadian lawmaker critical of Beijing. It is believed that after this decision of Canada, the diplomatic relations between the two countries are bound to sour which is already bad.
According to the news agency AFP, in a statement on Monday, Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie said that ‘the Canadian government has declared Zhao Wei, a Toronto-based diplomat, as ‘persona non grata’. Will not tolerate any kind of foreign interference in internal affairs. We are firm in our resolve that it is very important for us to protect democracy.
Melanie Jolie said that ‘foreign diplomats in Canada have been warned that if they behave like this, they will be sent home.’ The move further strained Sino-Canadian relations which were already Only bad. However, China has rejected allegations that it interfered in Canada’s internal affairs.
On Monday, the Chinese embassy in Ottawa issued a statement on its website condemning the expulsions. In this statement, China reiterated that Beijing has never interfered in Canada’s domestic affairs. The statement also said that the embassy had lodged a formal complaint with the Chinese government. The expelled Chinese diplomat has been asked to leave Canada within five days, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Actually, the Canadian MP had given a statement on China’s Uygar Muslim minority, after which he came under the target of China. The Canadian government could not tolerate this and took action against the Chinese diplomat. Following the expulsion of the Chinese diplomat, local media led by MP Michael Chong revealed that China’s intelligence agency planned to target Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong in February 2021.
