Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, gestures as he speaks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the G20 leaders’ summit in Bali, Indonesia, on Wednesday. (Reuters)
Limin Zhou
Chinese Communist leader Xi Jinping accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of leaking content of their conversation the day before to the press during the closing session of the G20 meetings on November 16th in Bali.
The Cdn Pool cam captured a tough talk between Chinese President Xi & PM Trudeau at the G20 today. In it, Xi express his displeasure that everything discussed yesterday “has been leaked to the paper(s), that’s not appropriate… & that’s not the way the conversation was conducted” pic.twitter.com/Hres3vwf4Q
— Annie Bergeron-Oliver (@AnnieClaireBO) November 16, 2022
A video of the two leaders’ interaction on the sideline of the G20 submit was captured by Canadian journalists traveling with the Prime Minister.
“The content of our yesterday’s discussion has been leaked to the paper, and that’s not appropriate,” Xi told Trudeau through an interpreter.
“[what was leaked] was not how the conversation was conducted. If there is sincerity on your part we will proceed with mutual respect, otherwise the result will be hard to say,” Xi continued.
Trudeau interjected at this point, and said “In Canada, we believe in free and open and frank dialogue, and that is what we will continue to have. We will continue to look to work constructively together, but there will be things we will disagree on.”
Xi said: “let’s create the conditions first.” The two leaders then shook hands and went separate ways.
Trudeau and Xi had a 15-minutes unofficial talk the day before during the opening session of the G20 submit. Trudeau’s office later said the Prime Minister had raised concerns about China’s interference in Canada, as well as media reports of unofficial Chinese police stations operating in Toronto, among other issues.
“I think the prime minister is not only responding to public opinion in Canada, which is increasingly skeptical of China, but also is under considerable pressure from the United States and other allies in the liberal democratic world who are saying: ‘We’re toughening our stance towards China, and we don’t see evidence that Canada is following suit,’” said Managing Director of the MacDonald Laurier Institute Brian Lee Crowley in an interview with CTV.
“I think the prime minister was not aiming his comments solely at Xi, but also at those allies who want to see more evidence of a little backbone on Canada’s policy towards China,” Crowley continued,” Crowley continued.
David Mulroney, Canada’s former ambassador to China, said that Xi’s berating Trudeau was a “staged, public rebuke for the leader of a vassal state.”
Conservative Senator Leo Housakos called Xi’s behaviour “dismissive”.
“President Xi’s demeanor and behavior towards Prime Minister Trudeau was completely dismissive,” said Housakos, “And as a result, because Mr. Trudeau happens to be the prime minister, he was dismissive of Canada.”
He said it was the consequence of Trudeau’s kowtow before the Chinese Communist Party.
“The reason why Xi can get away with being so dismissive is because the Trudeau government has been weak when it comes to defending security rights, security issues here in Canada, and that he continues to bow at the knees of this Chinese authoritarian dictator,” said the senator.
“When a prime minister of a G7 country continues to be weak and meek in dealing with Communist China, obviously it emboldens Mr. Xi and the communist regime. And they know they can say anything. They can do anything. They can take any action, and there will be no repercussions.”