China denies targeting Canadian lawmaker amid diplomat expulsion row

After the diplomat expulsion row with Canada, China on Thursday denied claims of Chinese diplomats targeting a Canadian MP for his anti-Beijing stances.Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said Thursday that she will consider expelling Chinese diplomats. This comes after a Canadian intelligence report indicated that one of these Chinese diplomats tried to intimidate a Canadian lawmaker's relatives living in Hong Kong.

As per reports, a Chinese diplomat is allegedly involved in targeting the Canadian lawmaker and his family for his anti-China stance. China criticised Canada for mulling over the options of expelling Chinese diplomats.

Canadian FM Joly said she was "assessing different options including the expulsion of diplomats," reported Reuters.

Who did China target?

China purportedly targeted Conservative Canadian MP Michael Chong. Chong has been a staunch supporter of Uyghur rights. In 2021, he also lent its support to a successful motion that said that the ongoing human rights abuses by China on its Uyghur minority accounts for genocide.

The intelligence report

As per the Canadian intelligence report from 2021 quoted by country's Globe and Mail newspaper, Beijing requested for details about Chong and his family. The intimidation effort was made in order to stomp down China's authority by making "an example" and also to "deter others from taking anti-PRC position," the paper reported.

China's reaction

Chinese Ambassador Cong Peiwu was summoned by the top Canadian foreign ministry official on Thursday. Cong registered a strong protest and called a possible expulsion of a Chinese diplomat a "threat."

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He said that the reports of the intelligence report are nothing but "rumors of the so-called 'China Interference'."

"China strongly urges the Canadian side to immediately stop this self-directed political farce," Cong said in a statement posted on the embassy's website, adding Canada should "not go further down the wrong and dangerous path."

Trudeau reacts

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged that he was made aware of the report from the newspaper. Interestingly, he also put blame on the country's spy agency for failing to keep him in loop related to this key information.

Earlier, China also condemned Trudeau's statement when he drew links between Chinese-produced lithium to slave labour. As per reports, the Canadian PM had cautioned Canada of consequences for "denigrating maliciously" the human rights situation in China.

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