(OTTAWA) Canada is ousting a Chinese diplomat from the Toronto Consulate, Zhao Wei, over the campaign of threats he orchestrated against MP Michael Chong and his family in Hong Kong. The Beijing envoy will have to leave the country in five days at the latest.
What there is to know
- MP Michael Chong and his family were the target of an intimidation campaign executed by diplomat Zhao Wei;
- A Canadian Security Intelligence Service report from July 2021 noted these threats, and a source from the Globe and Mail claimed it was the Ontario elected official;
- “It shouldn’t have taken so long,” reacted Michael Chong about the expulsion.
“Canada has decided to declare Mr. Zhao Wei persona non grata “, announced Monday the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, Mélanie Joly, on whom the pressure was growing stronger so that she adopts a firm posture towards Beijing.
“I have been very clear: we will not tolerate any form of foreign interference in our internal affairs. Diplomats in Canada have been warned that if they engage in this type of behavior, they will be sent home,” added the head of diplomacy.
The decision was made “by carefully considering all the factors involved”, she assured.
The expulsion of the Chinese diplomat comes a week after the publication of information in the Globe and Mail that Zhao Wei maneuvered to intimidate conservative lawmaker Michael Chong and members of his family in Hong Kong.
PHOTO SEAN KILPATRICK, THE CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Chinese diplomat from the Toronto Consulate Zhao Wei is said to have developed a campaign of threats against Conservative MP Michael Chong (pictured) and members of his family in Hong Kong.
The main interested party appeared at the microphone of the foyer of the House of Commons to react to the announcement of Mélanie Joly. “It shouldn’t have taken this long. It shouldn’t have taken two years for the government to make the decision from the moment they were informed,” he said.
The same goes for Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa. “It’s the right decision, but it comes a week too late. In fact, it comes months too late. We should have expelled him when we learned of it, in 2021, ”she said.
Especially since throughout the week the government has publicly discussed what retaliatory measures could be deployed, she said: “It was a mistake to talk about economic sanctions, for example, as if we were trying to put an award on the safety of Michael Chong and his family”.
Again on Saturday, on the London side, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insisted on the complexity of the issue.
“The relationship with China, as seen in recent years, has not been without very real challenges, whether in terms of arbitrary detentions, trade – pork, canola – […]. There are elements to take into account, ”he pleaded in a press briefing.
What reaction from Beijing?
It obviously remains to be seen how Beijing will react. Last week, the Chinese ambassador to Ottawa, Cong Peiwu, communicated through a spokesperson his supreme irritation at having been summoned by the Canadian government.
He had “vigorously protested”, during the meeting, “the threat to expel the Chinese diplomatic and consular personnel concerned on the basis of rumors of the so-called “interference of China” amplified by certain Canadian politicians and media”.
And if Ottawa continues its “provocations”, Beijing will retaliate “until the very end”, added the spokesperson
The embassy has yet to comment on the Canadian government announcement.
The Chinese diplomat will have to pack his bags and leave the country no later than five days, according to a Canadian government source who requested anonymity because she was not authorized to discuss the issue openly.
Satisfaction of the opposition
Minister Joly’s announcement came as the House of Commons demanded that any Chinese diplomat who engages in interference be expelled from Canada. Elected officials from all parties, except the Liberals, supported this non-binding Conservative motion.
The motion called on the Trudeau government to “stop delaying” and “expel all diplomats from the People’s Republic of China who are responsible for, and who are implicated in, these affronts to Canadian democracy.”
She also called on the Liberals to “immediately” create a registry of foreign agents, launch a national public inquiry into the issue of foreign interference, and “shut down police stations operated in Canada by the People’s Republic of China”.
But in the light of the government’s decision, everyone expressed their satisfaction.
“It was time for Canada to take its responsibilities towards the people and Canadian MPs and act accordingly. Further tolerating the presence of this Chinese diplomat was a disgrace to democracy and to the protection of deputies,” said Bloc Québécois René Villemure.