Sino-Canadian ties ‘at freezing point’, says Chinese ambassador
- Ottawa must see Beijing as an equal, not a competitor, Lu Shaye says
- ‘China’s development is nothing less than a great contribution to the world’, envoy says
Relations between China and Canada have hit an all-time low and Ottawa should rethink its approach to Beijing, the Chinese ambassador to Canada said on Thursday.
In a speech to business leaders in Toronto, Lu Shaye said Canada needed to start considering China as an equal rather than a strategic competitor.
“It saddens us that the current China-Canada relations are at a freezing point and face huge difficulties,” he said, adding that “the knots shall be untied by those who tied them”.
“We strongly call upon the Canadian side to view China’s development in a fair and objective manner, respect China’s major concerns and stop the moves that undermine the interests of China,” Lu said.
The envoy spent much of his speech, a transcript of which was posted on the embassy’s website, talking about what he described as the West’s efforts to transform China into a Western society.
He also dismissed what he called the “China economic threat theory” and the “China technology theft theory”.