(OTTAWA) The Chinese government has lectured the Canadian charge d’affaires in Beijing about the situation in Taiwan, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly revealed on Friday.
Posted at 1:00 p.m.
“Our charge d’affaires in Beijing was lectured by the Chinese authorities. This was also the case for the other G7 allies. Their ambassadors and business managers were also lectured,” she said on the sidelines of an announcement in suburban Toronto.
China is angered by a visit to Taiwan this week by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and has since retaliated against Washington.
Beijing announced on Friday that it was canceling or suspending dialogue with the United States on a range of issues ranging from climate change to military relations to counter-narcotics efforts.
PHOTO ALEXIS AUBIN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
Melanie Joly
The situation is very worrying, said Minister Joly, “especially the aggressive rhetoric” from China. She once again called on Beijing to “reduce tensions”.
“The visit of Nancy Pelosi, the visit of this important figure in the American legislature cannot be used as a pretext, as a justification, by the Chinese government to increase tensions and destabilize the region,” said Ms.me Pretty.
She said she was following the issue “very closely” and was in contact with her G7 colleagues in order to be “coordinated”.
With the Associated Press