China has removed Canada’s diplomat in Shanghai in retaliation after Canada expelled a Chinese diplomat for trying to intimidate a Canadian MP.
Canada designated China’s diplomat Zhao Wei “persona non grata” and expelled him from the country on Monday.
China took the decision on Tuesday and removed Jennifer Lynn Lalonde, Canada’s diplomat in its Shanghai Consulate. In a statement, it said, “China reserves the right to further react.”
Both the diplomats have been given five days to leave the respective countries. Due to claims of alleged Chinese political intervention in Canada, ties between the two countries have significantly deteriorated as a result of the censures.
The decision was taken by Canada after it accused the Asian giant of threatening its opposition lawmaker Michael Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong. Canada had last Thursday called China’s diplomat to make it clear that Canada would not allow any such behaviour.
Since the incarceration of Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou, who was jailed in Canada on US fraud accusations in 2018, and Beijing’s subsequent arrest of two Canadians on spying allegations, diplomatic relations between the two nations have been strained. In 2021, all three were set free. At the time, China maintained that the two instances were unrelated, but analysts deduced that Beijing was using the Canadians as political leverage.
