A Chinese government spokesperson yesterday accused Canada of acting in a “condescending manner” following an exchange between Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that underscores the depths to which the bilateral relationship has fallen.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning’s (毛寧) comments came after Xi talked to Trudeau at the G20 summit in Indonesia on Wednesday over media reports on an earlier meeting during which Trudeau expressed concern about Chinese interference in Canada’s internal affairs.
The apparently spontaneous exchange with a translator present was captured on video.
Photo: Reuters
Mao denied China had ever interfered in the internal affairs of other nations and said Canada was responsible for the downturn in ties.
“Canada should take concrete actions to create conditions for the improvement of China-Canada relations,” she told a daily briefing.
The conversation was “quite normal and should not be interpreted as President Xi criticizing or blaming anyone,” she said.
Mao added that there had been a clear lack of respect from the Canadian side.
“China has no problem at all with having a candid dialogue with other countries,” she said.
In his comments to Trudeau, Xi said: “Everything we discussed has been leaked to the paper; that’s not appropriate.”
“And that’s not ... the way the conversation was conducted, if there is sincerity on your part,” Xi said, at which point Trudeau interrupted and stepped toward Xi.
“In Canada, we believe in free and open and frank dialogue and that is what we will continue to have,” Trudeau said. “We will continue to look to work constructively together, but there will be things we will disagree on.”
“Let’s create the conditions first,” Xi responded.
The two shook hands after the brief encounter.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
At least 35 people were killed and dozens more injured when a man plowed his car into pedestrians exercising around a sports center in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai on Monday night. Footage showing bodies lying on the pavement appeared on social media in the hours after the crash, but had vanished by early Tuesday morning, and local police reported only “injuries.” It took officials nearly 24 hours to reveal that dozens had died — in one of the country’s deadliest incidents in years. China heavily monitors social media platforms, where it is common for words and topics deemed
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
RSS