On Monday, Ottawa announced the expulsion of a Chinese diplomat, accusing him of seeking to intimidate a Canadian deputy and his family over his criticism of Beijing, which sparked a new acute diplomatic crisis between the two countries, which Beijing accuses Ottawa of being responsible for.

“We will not tolerate any form of foreign interference in our internal affairs,” said Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie, announcing the expulsion of the diplomat, whom she declared “persona non grata” in the country.

China, Canada’s second largest trading partner, did not hesitate to respond.

And the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that “China has decided to declare Jennifer Lynn Lalonde, Consul General of Canada in Shanghai, persona non grata,” adding that it “reserves the right to take further response measures.”

She added that Justin Trudeau’s government “severely violates not only international law but also the basic rules of international relations.”

China called on Canada to stop “unwarranted provocations” following the mutual expulsion of diplomats from the two countries.

“We advise the Canadian side to immediately stop its unjustified provocations (…) If the Canadian side does not heed this advice and act recklessly, (China) will take resolute and strong retaliatory measures, and the Canadian side will bear all the consequences,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a press briefing.

For her part, the Canadian minister justified that “this decision was taken taking into account all relevant factors,” noting in a brief statement the importance of “defending Canadian democracy.”

intimidation

In this case, China had a strong response following recalling its ambassador last week and denouncing what it called “groundless slander and defamation” by Canada.

An informed source said that Zhao Wei, a diplomat at the Chinese consulate in Toronto, will be deported within five days.

Ottawa accuses the Chinese diplomat of being responsible for attempts to intimidate conservative Canadian MP Michael Chong, who and his family faced Chinese pressure because of his criticisms of Beijing, especially on the issue of the Uyghurs.

For weeks, Justin Trudeau’s government has been under increasing pressure to raise the tone towards Beijing, which is accused of repeated interference in Canadian affairs.

“There was (…) a real political risk for the Trudeau government. So it decided to take a chance by flexing its muscles,” said analyst Geneviève Tellier, a professor of political studies at the University of Ottawa.

“Economic revenge?”

Relations between Beijing and Ottawa have deteriorated sharply in recent years, especially following Canada’s arrest in 2018 of the CEO of the Chinese “Huawei” company, Meng Wanzhou, and the imprisonment of two Canadian citizens as a retaliation from China.

Despite the release of the three, tensions continued, as Beijing blamed Ottawa for its compatibility with Washington’s policy towards China, while the Canadian authorities accused China of meddling in its affairs.

In particular, China is suspected of attempting to interfere in the Canadian elections in 2019 and 2021. In a series of reports published by Canadian media, it is related to secret financing or participation in the election campaigns of some candidates. These accusations were “strongly” denied by the Chinese authorities.

In recent months, Canada has gradually hardened its stance by excluding Chinese companies from the rare earths industry citing “national security” reasons, publicly denouncing Beijing’s treatment of the Muslim Uyghur minority, and revealing its strategy in Asia and the Pacific to counter China’s growing influence in the region.

“Beijing may also take economic retaliatory measures,” said Romoum ​​Chantal, a professor at the Graduate Institute of Political Science in Moncton (eastern Canada) who specializes in China.