Canada has expelled a Chinese diplomat for allegedly targeting a Canadian politician, in the latest example of Ottawa’s tougher tone on Beijing, from election interference to Taiwan.
Canada’s Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said Ottawa had declared Zhao Wei persona non grata. A Canadian official said the diplomat posted to the Toronto consulate had five days to leave Canada.
“We will not tolerate any foreign interference in our internal affairs,” Joly wrote on Twitter on Monday. “Diplomats in Canada have been warned that if they engage in this type of behavior they will be sent home.”
Canada’s first expulsion of a Chinese diplomat in decades follows a report by Canadian security intelligence that said Zhao targeted Michael Chong, a lawmaker who backed a 2021 resolution declaring that China’s persecution of its Uyghur Muslim population be genocide.
The CSIS report, seen by Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper, says China has been trying to get information about Chong and his family in China. The report said the campaign was likely designed to “make an example” of Chong to discourage people from taking an anti-Chinese position.
The Chinese Embassy in the United States did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last week, the Chinese embassy in Ottawa raised strong objections to the possible deportation at the time. China’s ambassador to Ottawa, Cong Peiwu, accused Canada of responding to “rumours of so-called ‘Chinese interference’ that have been hyped up by some Canadian politicians and media”.
The matter has also sparked criticism of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who recently said he had not been made aware of the two-year-old allegations, despite the potential impact on opposition party member Chong.
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Canada and the US have stepped up efforts to crack down on what they have described as China’s interference in their domestic politics and other areas. The FBI recently arrested two US citizens of Chinese descent for allegedly running an illegal Chinese police station in New York. Canada released its first Indo-Pacific strategy last year, which made it clear that Ottawa would take a tougher stance on Beijing.
China and Canada have faced a turbulent relationship in recent years after Beijing listed two Canadians known as “the two Michaels” in retaliation for Canada’s arrest of Huawei’s Chinese chief financial officer after it received a request from the US -law enforcement agencies had received.
The decision to expel Zhao comes two weeks before the G7 summit in Hiroshima, where Trudeau and the other leaders are expected to release a communiqué containing critical words about China.