The moment Xi tore into Trudeau
Canadian PM blasted over leaks to Press
CHINA’S president Xi Jinping gave Justin Trudeau a humiliating dressing- down at the G20 summit yesterday.
The two leaders were caught on camera having a heated discussion in Bali, with Xi tearing into the Canadian prime minister.
The frustrated Chinese leader confronted Mr Trudeau about how details of a meeting between them on Tuesday had been leaked to the Press by sources in Ottawa.
Mr Trudeau had raised ‘serious concerns’ with Xi over suspected domestic interference by China during their first talks together in more than three years, Canadian sources reported.
Xi, trying to mask his anger with a pointed smile, was filmed telling an increasingly awkward-looking Mr Trudeau: ‘Everything that we discussed yesterday has been leaked to the papers and that’s not appropriate.’
A stunned Mr Trudeau just nodded as Xi continued his rant through a translator. The Chinese president looked pointedly at Mr Trudeau and added: ‘And that’s not the way the conversation was conducted.’
Mr Trudeau did not address Xi’s concerns and instead gave a hapless response.
‘Well, in Canada, we believe in free and open and frank dialogue, which we will continue to have,’ he said.
‘We will continue to look to work constructively together but there will be things that we will disagree on.’
While Mr Trudeau spoke, Xi looked frustrated and refrained from making eye contact.
He then smiled broadly and reached out and shook Mr Trudeau’s hand to end the excruciating exchange.
Mr Trudeau wandered off alone while Xi smiled at the camera. Tensions between Canada and China have been running high since the detention of Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou in 2018 and Beijing’s subsequent arrest of two Canadians on spying charges.
The standoff ended when all three people were released last year, but relations have remained sour.