This Is What the Sharp Confrontation Between Xi Jinping and Justin Trudeau Reflects

Relations between China and Canada have been marred by many tensions during the past period due to official Canadian actions and statements hostile to China and its interests.

Perhaps the latest of those tensions was Chinese President Xi Jinping’s dissatisfaction with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s serious concerns about alleged espionage and Chinese interference in the Canadian elections during their meeting last week in Bali, Indonesia, the first meeting between the two leaders in more than 3 years.

The short sharp confrontation that took place between Xi and Trudeau reflected the escalation of tension between the two countries again, which had emerged when Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, CEO of Huawei Technology Company, in 2018, and then China arrested two Canadians on charges of espionage.

The meeting of the two presidents also comes the day after Canada announced the arrest of a Chinese citizen on charges of obtaining industrial secrets for the benefit of China, in addition to forcing Ottawa’s three Chinese companies to abandon their investments in Canadian companies operating in the rare metals sector.

 

Chinese Canadian Confrontation

In the face of a rare confrontation that underlines the depth of the deterioration of bilateral relations between the two countries, Chinese President Xi Jinping criticized Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the G20 summit, on November 16, 2022, for leaking details of a previous meeting between them to the media.

Trudeau first spoke with Xi at the G20 on November 15, 2022, and a senior Canadian government official said, according to the Guardian, that they talked about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, North Korea, and climate change, and Trudeau also raised serious concerns about Chinese interference in Canada’s internal affairs.

During the summit, the media was able to record their heated conversation; Xi told Trudeau through the translator, “Everything we discussed has been leaked to the press. It’s inappropriate. That’s not how the conversation went, if there was sincerity on your part.”

At this moment, Trudeau interrupted something and approached him, saying: “In Canada, we believe in free, open, and honest dialogue, and this is what we will continue. We will continue to look forward to working and building together, but there are things we will disagree about.”

Xi replied through the translator: “Let’s set the conditions first, and the two shook hands after the brief conversation before Trudeau walked out of the room.”

On November 17, 2022, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning accused Canada of behaving in a condescending manner after the heated confrontation between Xi and Trudeau.

She categorically denied China’s interference in the internal affairs of other countries and pointed out that Canada was responsible for the deterioration of relations.

“Canada should take concrete measures to create conditions for the improvement of China-Canada relations,” she said at a daily briefing.

She continued, The conversation was completely normal and should not be interpreted as President Xi criticizing or blaming anyone, adding that there was a clear lack of respect on the Canadian side.

In turn, Trudeau responded at a press conference to a question about the confrontation with Xi, saying: “Not every conversation is easy, but it is very important that we continue to stand up for the things that are important to Canadians.”

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly also said that she discussed at the G-20 summit the issue of Chinese interference in the Canadian elections with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.

 

Wide Reaction

Social Media activists widely circulated a video clip of the confrontation between Xi and Trudeau, as Trudeau’s name topped the lists of the most interactive. Reactions varied with what happened, between those in solidarity with Trudeau, and others mocking him and pointing out his embarrassment at the Chinese president’s reprimand.

In turn, the Chinese nationalist activist, Zhao DaShuai, tweeted: “This is the first time that I have seen the Chinese president scolding a prominent Western figure in front of the cameras with such intensity.”

On his part, Canadian journalist Sasa Petricic wrote: “Body language inside the conversation between Trudeau and Xi speaks volumes about Xi’s current dismissive view of Canada. A country to be lectured and threatened.”

While Canadian journalist and politician Norman Spector said, “After what happened, no national leader will trust Trudeau to pull aside the G-7, G-20, and so on.”

As for the American YouTuber specializing in Chinese affairs, Cyrus Janssen, he tweeted: “Trudeau is one of the weakest leaders in the world, and he was reprimanded in the European Parliament earlier. Such actions make Canada look very vulnerable on the international stage. What’s next for China-Canada relations? Trudeau broke protocols and lost Xi’s confidence.”

On the other hand, Emmy Award-winning Canadian writer Charles Adler said, “Every time a Chinese dictator confronts a Canadian prime minister, I will stand with Canada. Many Canadians are happy to see PM Trudeau get a rebuke from Xi. This is your problem, not Justin Trudeau’s.”

 

Deterioration of Relations

Diplomatic tension between Canada and China has increased since the Canadian authorities arrested Huawei Technologies CEO Meng Wanzhou in December 2018 and the subsequent arrest by Beijing of two Canadians on espionage charges.

Although the curtain came down on this confrontation, in September 2021, with the release of the three detainees, relations between the two countries remained tense.

Tensions escalated recently when Canadian police said, on November 14, 2022, that an employee of Hydro-Quebec, Canada’s largest electricity producer, was involved in obtaining classified research on battery materials for China.

On November 9, 2022, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said that China is a global power increasingly disrupting the world order, cautioning Canadian companies to think carefully before deepening their relations with China due to the associated geopolitical risks with doing business with this country, according to Bloomberg.

In October 2022, the Canadian government imposed restrictions on the commercial exploitation of its rare mineral resources (lithium, nickel, copper, and uranium) and ordered three Chinese companies to sell their stakes in Canadian companies operating in this sector, attributing the matter to reasons related to national security.

On May 19, 2022, Ottawa banned the use of 5G networks produced by the Chinese tech giants Huawei and ZTE, on the pretext that Beijing could use these companies to monitor state communications and data traffic, according to Canadian CBC.

On its part, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said in a statement that it urged Canada to stop politicizing economic and trade issues.

However, the Canadian Foreign Ministry commented on these measures that its policy does not aim to reduce trade with China, Canada’s second-largest trading partner.

It added, “We will stand up to China when necessary, and we will cooperate with China when we must,” referring to the fifteenth Conference of the Parties on Biodiversity, which will be held in Montreal, Canada, next December, under the chairmanship of China.

In another context, the Canadian Defense Ministry indicated that Canada should increase its military influence in the Indo-Pacific region, saying that the status quo is not an option.

Especially after Canada criticized, on June 6, 2022, the provocative incidents carried out by the Chinese Air Force in the airspace in Asia, according to the Canadian CBC report.

Ottawa said that the Chinese planes tried to divert a Canadian patrol plane from its course, and the crew had to change direction quickly to avoid a possible collision with the Chinese planes, indicating that such behavior is of concern and is increasing in frequency.

Subsequently, Trudeau denounced the actions of the Chinese pilots towards the Canadian planes participating in a United Nations mission over the Pacific Ocean to impose sanctions on North Korea, describing it as irresponsible and provocative.

It is noteworthy that the Canadian government is preparing to launch what is known as the Indo-Pacific Strategy, which the Canadian Foreign Ministry said would challenge China on the human rights file.

 

Aggressive Games

On November 7, 2022, Global News revealed in a report that Canada’s Security Intelligence Service told Trudeau’s government last January that China had interfered in the 2019 federal election.

CSIS said the Chinese consulate in Toronto has, via a member of the Ontario legislature and a local businessman, wired $250,000 to candidates in 11 districts and to Beijing agents working on their campaigns.

When that report was first released, Trudeau said that China and other countries were playing aggressive games with democracies.

In October 2022, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced that it was looking into reports of criminal activity related to so-called Chinese police stations in Canada, considering that this is an outrageous violation of Canadian sovereignty, according to the Guardian.

According to what was published by the Spanish-based Safeguard Defenders human rights group in September 2022, Beijing has used these police stations to carry out operations on foreign lands and pressure Chinese citizens to return to China to face criminal charges.

China has denied accusations that the centers engage in illegal activities, saying the sites simply provide services such as renewing driver’s licenses for overseas Chinese citizens.

On November 22, 2022, the RCMP announced in a statement that it had launched an investigation into reports regarding Chinese police service stations in the city of Toronto, as reported by Reuters.

“Our goal is to prevent intimidation, threats, and harassment as well as any form of harm applied on behalf of a foreign entity to any community in Canada,” the statement said.

The authorities have asked Canadian citizens to contact them if they are aware of any activity arising from the alleged police service stations or if they have been threatened by China.

Ottawa has long criticized Beijing’s violation of human rights in Xinjiang, and the matter went so far as to pass a non-binding memorandum by the Canadian Parliament in 2021 submitted by the Conservative Party that takes a hard line towards China. The memorandum considered that the violations against the Muslim Uighur minority amounted to the crime of genocide, while all members of the Trudeau government from the Liberal Party abstained from voting on it.

Canada also stood by the United States and refrained from diplomatic participation in the Beijing Winter Olympics, which was held in February 2022, under the pretext of China’s violation of human rights.

When Beijing passed the national security law for Hong Kong in 2020, Ottawa responded by suspending an extradition agreement with Hong Kong and freezing exports of sensitive military equipment to the country.

The two countries are also experiencing tensions due to the expansion of China’s influence in the South China Sea and also because of Taiwan, which was visited last month by members of the Canadian Parliament, which China considered a violation of the one-China principle and a blatant interference in its internal affairs.

On the other hand, Canada has closed many Confucius Institutes in recent years under the pretext of being accused of espionage for China.

Observers believe that the continued deterioration of Chinese-Canadian relations and the two parties taking punitive or malicious measures against each other will harm both sides, especially the Canadian side; China is Canada’s second-largest trading partner, as well as an important market in Asia for Canadian technology companies.