TLTP
\nBEIJING
\nChina has hit back at Canada\u2019s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, after he criticized Beijing\u2019s human rights record, detention of Canadian citizens, and use of \u201ccoercive diplomacy.\u201d
\nOn Wednesday, the spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, Zhao Lijian, said the Canadian government had shown \u201chypocrisy\u201d and \u201cweakness,\u201d as he responded to comments made by Trudeau.
\nTrudeau fired warning shots at Beijing on Tuesday as he marked the 50th anniversary of Canada\u2019s diplomatic ties with China.
\n\u201cWe will remain absolutely committed to working with our allies to ensure that China\u2019s approach of coercive diplomacy, and its arbitrary detention of two Canadian citizens, alongside citizens of other countries around the world, is not viewed as a successful tactic by them,\u201d the prime minister said.
\nCanadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor have been detained in China since December 2018 on suspicion of espionage. Their arrests came just days after a Chinese citizen was arrested in Canada.
\nTrudeau was also critical of China\u2019s human rights record, condemning Beijing\u2019s treatment of the Uighur population of Xinjiang and sharing his concern for the people of Hong Kong.
\nIn Tuesday\u2019s state press conference, Lijian praised the progress achieved by China and Canada over the 50 years of diplomatic relations, but also pleaded with Ottawa to release a Chinese citizen who had been detained in Canada at the request of the US.
\nMeng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of telecom giant Huawei, was detained in December 2018 on re-entry to Canada. She was arrested on charges of fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud in order to circumvent US sanctions against Iran. Lijian contended that Wanzhou\u2019s unlawful detention was the root cause of the current deterioration in Sino-Canadian relations.
\nOn Tuesday, Beijing called on Asian nations to unite against Washington\u2019s \u201cold-fashioned cold war mentality\u201d in the latest war of words between Washington and Beijing. The two nations have introduced multiple reciprocal restrictions on each other\u2019s diplomats.
\nMeanwhile, China\u2019s spiraling diplomatic dispute with Canberra took a further turn on Monday, as China reportedly banned Australian coal imports. Beijing has previously accused Australia of mass espionage and the raiding of the homes of Chinese journalists.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TLTP BEIJING China has hit back at Canada\u2019s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, after he criticized Beijing\u2019s human rights record, detention of Canadian citizens, and use of \u201ccoercive diplomacy.\u201d On Wednesday, the spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, Zhao Lijian, said the Canadian government had shown \u201chypocrisy\u201d and \u201cweakness,\u201d as he responded to comments made by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-150551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n