Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday says his country will not be intimidated by China following tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions by Ottawa and Beijing.
Ottawa expelled Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei on Monday over allegations related to foreign interference, and hours later, China asked a Canadian diplomat in Shanghai to leave by May 13 in response to what it called Ottawa’s “unreasonable actions”.
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“We understand there is retaliation, but we will not be intimidated, we will continue to do everything necessary to keep Canadians protected from foreign interference,” Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa.
A row has simmered since the detention of Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou in 2018 and Beijing’s subsequent arrest of two Canadians on spying charges. All three were freed in 2021.
Some fear the latest flare-up could have economic repercussions for Canada. Chinese imports of Canadian goods rose 16% last year to a record of C$100 billion ($74.8 billion), and China is Canada’s second-biggest trading partner after the United States.
Last year, Beijing lifted a three-year ban on imports of canola, Canada’s largest crop, from trading companies Richardson International and Viterra that had been imposed in 2018. China is also a major importer of Canadian potash and wheat.
Global supplies of wheat and vegetable oil are in tighter supply due to the Ukraine war, which may make it difficult for China to limit its imports of Canadian wheat and canola.
Editor: Oloyede Oworu
