China protests over Canada’s ‘biased’ Indo-Pacific strategy
- Document says China is an increasingly disruptive global power, pointing to activities in the South China Sea and Xinjiang
- Beijing accuses Ottawa of exaggerating the China threat and making groundless attacks
In the long-awaited strategy released on Sunday, Canada describes China as “an increasingly disruptive global power” and outlines plans to spend C$2.3 billion (US$1.7 billion) to boost military and cybersecurity in the region.
The Chinese foreign ministry said it was firmly opposed to the document and had made serious representations to the Canadian side.
“Canada’s strategy on China is full of ideological bias, exaggerating and hyping up the so-called China threat and making groundless accusations and attacks against China,” ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said.
Zhao said China adhered to peaceful development and would “never seek hegemony and never engage in expansion”.
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In the 26-page document, Canada takes aim at many Chinese activities and policies, including those related to the South China Sea, forced labour and human rights in Xinjiang.