The Canadian government has finally decided to declare persona non grata Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei, who is suspected of planning an intimidation campaign against the family of a Conservative MP in Hong Kong.
“We will not tolerate any foreign interference in our internal affairs. Diplomats in Canada have been warned that if they engage in this type of behavior they will be sent home,” Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said in a statement Monday.
A Globe and Mail article published last week alleged that diplomat Zhao Wei of the Chinese Consulate in Toronto was behind a campaign of intimidation against the family of Ontario MP Michael Chong. Two years ago, the elected conservative introduced a motion to recognize the genocide of the Uyghurs.
The Canadian government has trembled over the fate of the Chinese diplomat in recent days. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he is weighing his options on the pretext that “expelling diplomats is no small matter”. He also reiterated that it was “unacceptable” that an elected member of the House of Commons had been intimidated by “a foreign power”.
A late decision
The head of the school concerned, Deputy Michael Chong, said Monday he believed the government should have made the decision two years ago, when diplomat Zhao was caught by the intelligence services. He does not know whether his family in Hong Kong actually suffered from sanctions.
“China has been known for years to use its Canadian-accredited diplomats to target Canadians and their families,” he said, referring to the pressure allegedly exerted on the Chinese diaspora by informal “police stations” in the country .
“The government has long known that Mr. Zhao Wei was operating out of Toronto […], collected information about me and my family to intimidate me. I wasn’t aware that this person was there, although I’m often busy […] in Toronto,” Chong explained.
For her part, Minister Joly called the Chinese Ambassador Cong Peiwu last Thursday to express her outrage. China’s Foreign Ministry has denied the allegations of interference, calling them “slander” and “slander”. The Chinese Embassy in Canada added a layer Monday, citing a “firm and strong response” to Canada’s decision.
“China condemns it and strongly opposes it [au renvoi du diplomate Zhao Wei]. China will resolutely take countermeasures and Canada will face all the consequences,” read a message published in Mandarin Monday afternoon.
According to former Canadian Ambassador to China Guy Saint-Jacques, Beijing’s most likely response is to expel any Canadian diplomats present on its territory. Given the economic hardships China is going through, he thinks the regime is unlikely to put other nationals like Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor under bars between 2018 and 2021. “Under the circumstances, it’s a perfectly reasonable decision, it had to be made,” comments the retired diplomat.
investigation pressure
Justin Trudeau still claims he was unaware of reports by Canadian Security Intelligence Agency of threats against MP Michael Chong’s family before learning about them in the media. The government promises to bring light into the darkness.
A Conservative Party motion specifically targeting the sacking of Mr. Zhao and a public inquiry into foreign interference was also approved on Monday by a vote of 170 to 150. The elected members of the Liberal Party of Canada, as well as the newly elected Independent MP Han Dong, opposed this.
Monday’s Conservative motion, backed by the Bloc Québécois and the New Democratic Party, also called for the establishment of a foreign agent registry and the “closure of PRC-run police stations in Canada.”
The Prime Minister is counting on “Special Rapporteur” David Johnston to decide by May 23 whether a genuine public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada’s democratic institutions should be launched. However, the former governor-general’s legitimacy has been questioned given his previous positions at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, which itself has faced allegations of Chinese interference.