China hits out at Canadian ‘threat’ to expel diplomat over harassment claim
- Ambassador Cong Peiwu was summoned by the foreign ministry over allegations of a Chinese-led campaign targeting a lawmaker and his family
- Conservative lawmaker Michael Chong had voted in favour of a 2021 parliamentary motion condemning Beijing’s policies in the Xinjiang region
China’s embassy in Canada has hit out over a “threat” to expel a Chinese diplomat accused of involvement in harassing a Canadian lawmaker and his family, saying Beijing would “play along until the very end” if Ottawa escalated the row.
It followed a Globe and Mail report on Monday – citing classified documents and an anonymous security source – that claimed Toronto-based Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei was involved in a Ministry of State Security effort to get information on Chong and his family in Hong Kong.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly has said the government is considering expulsion of the diplomat.
After ambassador Cong was summoned, the Chinese embassy in Ottawa released a statement saying that “in an attempt to make political gains and draw attention, driven by ideological bias, some Canadian politicians and media have been manipulating China-related issues, attacking and discrediting China”.
It said Beijing “strongly deplores and firmly rejects” such actions and its diplomatic and consular officials carried out their duties in line with relevant agreements and international conventions and “must not be smeared”.