Tensions between China and the West have been simmering for years. The parties no longer conceal their pronounced differences, each working to counter the influence of the other. Although the United States is Beijing’s main geopolitical adversary, it is not the only nation resisting Chinese supremacist appetites. Canadahistorical partner and ally of Washington, is also on the list of nations that warn of the danger posed by Chinese growth on a global level.

Since 2018, relations between China and Canada have been at one of the worst times in their history.

December 1 of this year meng wanzhou, daughter of the founder of the Chinese technology company Huawei, was arrested during a stopover in Vancouver. The case sparked a deep diplomatic crisis between Canada, China and the United States.

The Chinese executive had been arrested by an international order, accused of bank and electronic fraud, in response to a request from the United States, which also requested his extradition to Canadian justice.

Meng, who served as Huawei’s chief financial officer, has been accused by the United States of lied to HSBC bank about tech giant’s relationship with Skycoma company accused of negotiating with Iran to sell it communications equipment, violating international sanctions against the theocratic regime.

She posted $1 million bail to avoid extradition to the United States, but had to serve three years of house arrest in Canada. After serving his sentence in 2021, he returned to China.

The case was dismissed after reaching an agreement with the US Department of Justice, in which he admitted to having incurred irregularities in his statements to HSBC bank. The U.S. Attorney’s Office later dropped the charges.

But the case left scars and completely decimated relations between China and Canada.

The temperature rose further last year after Canadian intelligence sources informed Justin Trudeau’s government of the Xi Jinping regime’s interference in the 2019 and 2021 election campaigns by infiltrating Chinese advisers for the campaigns of some candidates, while making donations to the campaign offices of several MPs.

After analyzing intelligence information, Trudeau accused the Chinese regime of “aggressive interference” in Canada’s electoral processes: “We have taken significant steps to strengthen the integrity of our electoral processes and we will continue to invest in the fight against interference, against foreign interference in our democracy and our institutions (…) Unfortunately, we see how some countries and state actors, be it China or others, continue to play aggressively with our democracies.

However, China has denied these accusations.

The question was raised last November during a private meeting between Trudeau and Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali. The first face-to-face between the two leaders since 2019. The Canadian prime minister told the press that he had raised the issue with the Chinese president. However, this annoyed the leader of the Communist Party of China (CCP) and there was a tense – and unusual – exchange at the summit on the Asian island.

The moment was recorded by journalists covering the forum. Xi Jinping, through a translator, told Trudeau it was inappropriate and accused him of lacking “sincerity”. “Everything we discussed has been leaked in the papers and it’s not appropriate”the Chinese president told his counterpart in Mandarin.

After listening carefully, Trudeau replied, “In Canada, we believe in frank and open dialogue and that is what we will continue to have. We will continue to seek to work together constructively, but there will be things we disagree on.”

Xi cut him off, telling him to “create the conditions” first. Immediately afterwards, he held out his hand to her and withdrew.

Since this tense situation, almost six months have passed, and China and Canada are again at the center of the international scene.

This week, the Trudeau government expelled the Chinese diplomat to Ottawa, Zhao Wei, for allegedly interfering in the internal affairs of the North American country.

The authorities took this action following allegations that the Chinese intelligence services had planned to sanction the deputy. michael chong and their relatives in Hong Kong for leading a motion condemning China’s human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region against the Uyghur minority, which it calls genocide.

Canadian media reported that intelligence services discovered that Zhao was involved in trying to locate relatives of Chong who are believed to be living in Hong Kong.

Beijing’s response was immediate and announced on Tuesday that it would expel the Canadian consul from the Canadian Consulate General in Shanghai.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry told the Canadian diplomat jennifer lynn lalon of “persona non grata” and granted him five days to leave the country.

The Asian giant’s foreign ministry has also warned that it reserves the right to take further action.

For its part, the Canadian Mounted Police recently reported that “actively investigating” the alleged existence in the country of Chinese “police stations”used by undercover agents to monitor all movements of Chinese-Canadian citizens: “This or any other type of intimidation, harassment or attack of diaspora communities or individuals in Canada will not be tolerated. “

These latest cases are further damaging the already weakened diplomatic relations between Beijing and Ottawa. It is unclear what the next steps will be for both parties. For now, at the end of the month, Trudeau will receive a recommendation from a special rapporteur on whether allegations of Chinese interference in the 2019 and 2021 elections warrant a public inquiry.

The Canadian Prime Minister has announced that whatever decisions are to come, his government will not be “intimidated” by China. “We have decided that we have to act responsibly to send a very clear message that we will not accept foreign interference and that whatever the next decisions they take, we will not be intimidated”, a- he said after Beijing accused his government of trying to “sabotage” bilateral relations.

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