Good riddance. On Monday, the Trudeau government (finally) got tough on China and expelled Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei. It was the right thing to do.
Last week the Globe and Mail revealed that the diplomat orchestrated a campaign of threats against Conservative MP Michael Chong and his family living in Hong Kong.
China had a grudge against Mr. Chong since he sponsored a motion to label the treatment of Uyghur Muslims in the Middle Kingdom as genocide. Such interference is absolutely abhorrent and Canada had to send a strong signal that it did not tolerate it.
The Trudeau government is therefore making a courageous gesture, especially since we do not know what the Chinese response will be – simple reciprocal expulsion of a Canadian diplomat or trade sanctions?
But the Canadian gesture, as justified as it is, should not make us forget that Canada needs a solid and considered long-term strategy towards China. Zhao Wei’s expulsion does not erase the many questions that remain unanswered either.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has known since 2021 that the Chinese regime was seeking to intimidate Mr. Chong and his family. Why was he not notified? Why was Justin Trudeau himself kept in the dark? Why did you wait so long to expel the diplomat? What explains the media leaks at CSIS? This matter is still far from being elucidated.