China doesn’t want to see ‘difficult situation’ with Canada continue, Wang Yi says

Foreign minister says Beijing is open to maintaining contact and talks, in phone call with his counterpart Melanie Joly

Relations have been strained in recent years, including over accusations of Chinese meddling in Canadian elections

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Top diplomat Wang Yi said China and Canada did not have any “real conflicts of interest”. Photo: Reuters

Published: 4:00pm, 12 Jan 2024

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing was open to maintaining contact and dialogue with Canada and did not want to see the “current difficult situation” continue.

In a phone call with his Canadian counterpart Melanie Joly on Thursday, Wang said the two countries shared many common interests and did not have any historical disputes or “real conflicts of interest”.

“The fundamental reason why China-Canada relations have reached a low point in recent years is the serious deviation of Canada’s perception of China,” he said, according to a Chinese foreign ministry readout.

“We hope Canada can interpret China’s domestic and foreign policies objectively, rationally and correctly.”

China’s ties with Canada have soured in recent years, in part due to the 2018 tit-for-tat arrests of a Huawei Technologies executive in Vancouver on fraud charges at the request of the US, and two Canadians living in China who were accused of espionage.

Canada accused China of engaging in “hostage diplomacy” before a deal was eventually reached with US prosecutors that saw all three people released in 2021.

Relations were further strained over accusations of Chinese meddling in Canadian elections and the attempted intimidation of lawmakers that resulted in the expulsion of a Chinese diplomat last year. China has repeatedly denied claims of interference.

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