Canada and China expelled diplomats from each other

Chong Wen-ho incident: Canada and China expel consuls from each other
A major diplomatic spat erupted between Canada and China on Tuesday, with Beijing retaliating by expelling a Canadian diplomat hours after Ottawa ordered a Chinese diplomat to leave the country amid simmering accusations of a Chinese influence campaign.

On Monday night, Canada said it had declared a Chinese diplomat accused of intimidating and gathering information about Canadian lawmakers “persona non grata” and ordered him to leave.

Hours later, China said it was taking countermeasures by expelling a diplomat from the Canadian consulate in Shanghai.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolly said in a statement that the diplomat, Zhao Wei, had been declared “persona non grata”. Jolly said the decision was made “after careful consideration of all the influencing factors.”

“Diplomats in Canada have been warned that they will be sent home if they engage in such conduct,” she added. “We will not tolerate any form of foreign interference.”

The Canadian foreign minister stressed that the decision to expel the Chinese diplomat had been carefully considered.

The Globe and Mail, a Canadian newspaper, last week cited Canadian intelligence documents saying Chinese diplomats had been targeted after Mr Zhuang sponsored a bill on human rights in Xinjiang, and had been gathering intelligence on his family in Hong Kong to target him and deter his “anti-China stance”.

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly announced on Monday that Zhao Wei, the Chinese consul at the Consulate General in Toronto, who has been accused of involvement in the scandal, would be listed as a “persona non grata” and deported.
China’s Foreign Ministry went on to announce at midday on Tuesday that it had also designated Jennifer Lynn Lalonde, the Canadian consul general in Shanghai, as “persona non grata” and ordered her to leave the country until May 13.

Beijing called the expulsion of Zhao Wei an “unreasonable act” and “has lodged solemn representations and strong protests with Canada.” The Canadian Foreign minister said the decision to expel the Chinese diplomat was made “after careful consideration of all relevant factors”. She reiterated that Canada would not accept “any form of foreign interference” in its internal affairs.

Earlier, the Chinese Embassy in Canada issued a statement saying that Ottawa expelled the consul “based on the lies of some politicians and media about China’s interference in Canada’s internal affairs”.

“This is a serious violation of international law and basic principles of international relations, a serious violation of relevant bilateral agreements between China and Canada, a deliberate attempt to undermine China-Canada relations” and “seriously undermines the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese diplomatic and consular staff”.

The Chinese Consulate General in Toronto also issued separate statements to refute the Ottawa government, saying, “The Canadian side has made false accusations against others by falsely accusing consular officials of interfering in Canada’s internal affairs… This is a naked political provocation and is bound to lose people’s support.”
According to the official website of the Chinese Consulate General in Toronto, Zhao Wei is the head of politics and news at the Consular office.

The Globe and Mail reported that Zhao Wei had been assigned to gather intelligence on Zhuang Wenhao.
According to her online profile, Zhen Yihui is the consul for political, economic and public affairs at the Canadian Consulate General in Shanghai. The Foreign ministry statement didn’t say why it chose to expel Ms. Zhen.

“We continue to believe strongly that defending our democracy is vital,” Ms Jomilan said, retweeting her written statement on Twitter.
Chong is currently shadow foreign minister for Canada’s opposition Conservative Party.

Chong was born in Windsor, Ontario, in 1971. His father immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong in 1952 and worked his way up to become a doctor. His mother, a former nurse, was an immigrant from the Netherlands.

Mr. Chong, who joined Canada’s Conservative Party, was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2004 and served as a minister under Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He is currently a Conservative shadow foreign minister and vice-chairman of the House Select Committee on Canada-China relations.
In February 2021, Canada’s House of Commons voted overwhelmingly to pass a motion calling China’s treatment of the Uighur minority “genocide”. Chong was the sponsor of the motion. In March of the same year, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries-imposed sanctions on China over the Xinjiang issue. The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced countermeasures and imposed sanctions on Zhuang Wenhao and others.

Under the sanctions, Chong is banned from entering the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao SAR, and Chinese citizens and institutions are prohibited from dealing with or dealing with Chong. “I see the sanctions as a mark of honour,” Chong told BBC Chinese later.

Canada’s Globe and Mail reported on May 1 that according to a CSIS intelligence report and a source close to the matter, Zhuang Wenhao was targeted by Chinese authorities immediately after he initiated the Xinjiang initiative in order to “make an example” of Zhuang and deter others from taking an anti-China stance.
The report also noted that China considers Canada, a member of the Five Eyes alliance, to be one of its top intelligence targets.

Chong Boon Ho said on Thursday that CSIS had informed him of the situation. “Like many Canadians, I have relatives overseas,” he said in a statement. “[China’s] ability to target these relatives to intimidate and coerce native Canadians is a serious national threat.”

Neither the report nor Chong gave further details.
Mr. Trudeau said he learned of the incident only after the Globe and Mail report was published. “CSIS decided that there was no need to report the matter upwards because it was not serious enough,” he said.

In March, Trudeau announced an independent inquiry into China’s “interference in Canada’s recent election”. China has denied any interference in the election, calling the allegations “completely false and groundless”.

Also in March, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed it was investigating two suspected Chinese “overseas police stations” in Montreal, Quebec. China has denied the facilities are “overseas police stations”, saying they are in fact “service centres”.