Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly told her Chinese counterpart Qin Gang on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi that Canada will never tolerate any form of foreign interference in its internal affairs, Happy Friday said in a statement.
Ms Joly was “direct, firm and unequivocal” in her first meeting with Mr Qin as China’s foreign minister, the statement said.
Recent Canadian media reports, citing unnamed intelligence sources, have alleged attempts by China to interfere in Canada’s last two elections. Beijing denies these allegations.
“Canada will never tolerate any form of foreign interference by China in our democracy and internal affairs,” Mr Joly told Mr Qin, according to the statement.
“We will never accept any violation of our territorial integrity and our sovereignty,” Mr Joly added. “We will never allow Chinese diplomats to violate the Vienna Convention on Canadian soil.”
Earlier Friday, Qin dismissed allegations that Chinese embassies and consulates in Canada were trying to interfere in the Canadian election, saying the alleged interference was “completely false and absurd”.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged China’s attempts at interference but insisted the voting results were not changed. He is under pressure to launch a public inquiry into the allegations after a parliamentary committee on Thursday approved a motion calling for an inquiry.
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