Chinese President Xi Jinping slammed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the G-20 summit for leaking details of an earlier meeting between the two. “Everything we discussed was leaked to the newspaper. It’s not appropriate,” Xi told Trudeau in Indonesia.
The conversation at the G-20 summit was recorded in the media. In addition to Xi and Trudeau, an interpreter is also seen in the videos. “That’s not how the conversation was conducted, if you’re being honest,” Xi said.
“Let’s create the conditions first”
Trudeau then interrupted Xi: “In Canada we believe in free, open and honest dialogue and we will continue to do so. We will continue to try to work together constructively, but there will be things we will not agree on”.
When Trudeau answered, Xi first looked around the room and then said, “Let’s set the conditions first.” After a short conversation, the two shook hands.
“Canadian Interference Activity”
On Tuesday, Trudeau spoke with Xi behind closed doors for the first time at the G-20 summit. A senior Canadian government official said the two discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, North Korea and climate change. Trudeau also addressed “our serious concerns about interference activities in Canada”.
The officer spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. Asked later at a news conference about the confrontation, Trudeau said, “Not all conversations will always be easy, but it’s extremely important that we continue to stand up for the things that matter to Canadians.”
Tensions between China and Canada
The exchange between Xi and Trudeau highlights the tensions between China and Canada. In 2018, Huawei CFO and company founder Ren Zhengfei’s daughter Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver, Canada at the instigation of US authorities.
The US government has accused the top manager of the supplier of network equipment and smartphones, among other things, of bank fraud. Meng has always maintained his innocence and accused the authorities of violating his arrest rights. In 2021 she was allowed to leave the country.
However, tensions between states have recently reignited after the arrest of Yuesheng Wang, an employee of the Hydro-Quebec utility company, accused of espionage.
Wang had “obtained trade secrets for the benefit of the People’s Republic of China at the expense of Canada’s economic interests,” Canadian police said in a statement. By then, Trudeau and President Xi were at the G-20 summit.
