Chinese Embassy hits back at Canada’s slander of ‘China meddling in its elections’
The Chinese Embassy in Canada slammed the latest remarks made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who accused China of trying to “meddle in Canadian elections,” urging Canada to respect and face the facts, abandon ideological biases, stop hyping up the lie of “Chinese interference.”
In a statement issued by the embassy on Wednesday local time, it expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to those remarks.
China has repeatedly emphasized its consistent principle of non-interference in internal affairs and has never had any interest in interfering in Canadian internal affairs. China has solemnly and clearly stated its position to Canada on numerous occasions during bilateral and multilateral engagements, the embassy said.
Trudeau set up the commission last year under pressure from opposition legislators unhappy about media reports on China’s possible role in the elections.
Some politicians in Canada, driven by their own interests, are attempting to target China in the public inquiry, trying to label and cast aspersions on China. The testimonies have been characterized with terms like “highly likely,” “probable,” and “suspicious,” but they fail to provide any substantial evidence, the Chinese embassy said. This once again fully illustrates that the so-called “foreign interference” public inquiry is nothing but a politically orchestrated farce, and some individuals in Canada have stooped to an inexplicable level of slander and attack against China, it noted.
Trudeau’s personal approval ratings have plummeted in the last six months and he needs to use such accusations to offset the public’s dissatisfaction with his handling issues such as the economy, housing, and climate change, Yao Peng, deputy secretary-general of the Canadian Studies Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
The Chinese embassy emphasized that China is actually the target of “foreign interference” activities, including by Canada.