Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday that the North American country “will not be intimidated” by China after Beijing and Ottawa exchanged diplomat expulsions.

Trudeau defended that the expulsion of Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei had been taken “with careful consideration” and stressed that Ottawa would continue to do “everything necessary” to protect the population against “foreign interference”, reports the chain of Canadian television Global News.

“Regardless of what next decisions they take… We will ensure that China continues to see, along with other countries that are involved in foreign interference, that we take this extremely seriously,” added the Canadian “Prime Minister”.

The Canadian government announced the declaration of ‘persona non grata’ and the expulsion of Zhao, accused of interfering in Canadian internal affairs after he was accused of orchestrating a campaign of harassment against a member of the Canadian Conservative Party.

Zhao is said to have played a significant role in the harassment and threats against MP Michael Chong and his family in Hong Kong, who however criticized the Trudeau government for its lukewarm response to the open diplomatic crisis.

In response, China’s foreign ministry on Tuesday declared Canadian consul in Shanghai Jennifer Lynn Lalonde “persona non grata” and ordered her to leave the country by the weekend.

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