China says Xi was not criticising Trudeau in meeting at G-20

BEIJING – China’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday said President Xi Jinping was not criticising Mr Justin Trudeau, a day after Mr Xi was seen confronting the Canadian Prime Minister at the Group of 20 (G-20) summit over

alleged leaks of their closed-door meeting

.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning told a regular media briefing that Beijing supports having frank exchanges as long as they are held on an equal basis, and said China hopes that Canada will take action to improve bilateral ties.

“The video you mentioned was indeed a short conversation both leaders held during the G-20 summit in Indonesia. This is very normal. I don’t think it should be interpreted as (Mr) Xi criticising or accusing anyone,” Ms Mao said.

During the one-minute video clip published by Canadian broadcasters on Wednesday, a translator for Mr Xi could be heard telling Mr Trudeau that “everything we discussed was leaked to the paper(s), that’s not appropriate”.

Speaking evenly and wearing a slight smile, Mr Xi said: “And that’s not the way (our discussion) was conducted, was it?”

Mr Xi went on to say, in Mandarin: “If there is sincerity, we can communicate well with mutual respect, otherwise the outcome will not be easy to tell.”

He then appears to try to walk past Mr Trudeau, but the latter replied: “In Canada, we believe in free, 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 disagree on.”

Raising his hands, Mr Xi cut him off, saying bluntly: “Create the conditions. Create the conditions.”

He then broadened his smile, barely looking at Mr Trudeau as he shook his hand and made his way out of the room.

Mr Xi’s displeasure was likely a reference to media reports that Mr Trudeau brought up “serious concerns” about alleged espionage and Chinese “interference” in Canadian elections during their meeting on Tuesday – Mr Trudeau’s first talks with the Chinese leader in more than three years.

Ms Mao said on Thursday: “I want to stress that China never interferes in the affairs of other countries.” She did not say whether Mr Trudeau’s bringing up of alleged Chinese interference on Tuesday was the reason behind the recorded exchange between the two leaders the next day.

She also said that Mr Xi telling Mr Trudeau “otherwise the outcome will not be easy to tell” was not a threat, as both leaders were engaging in a normal exchange and merely “expressing their respective positions”.

“Frank dialogue is not a problem for China, but we hope (it) will be built on a basis of equal and mutual respect instead of condescending criticism,” she said.

It was not clear when, if ever, Mr Xi became aware that the conversation was being filmed. The video captured a rare candid moment for the Chinese President, whose image is carefully curated by Chinese state media.

Dr Van Jackson, senior lecturer in international relations at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, said the tone of the encounter was akin to “a great power speaking to a less-great power”.

He said: “Xi’s language and body posture was not at all unusual for government officials who are on less than friendly terms – in private.”

Tensions between China and the United States have put Canada in an “especially awkward position”, Dr Jackson said, adding that Ottawa’s “embeddedness in the network of Anglo-Saxon, intelligence-sharing democracies all but ensures it will draw China’s ire more and more as time passes”.

Mr Trudeau had said last week that China was playing “aggressive games” after Canadian broadcaster Global News reported on a “clandestine network” of federal election candidates funded by Beijing.

Canadian federal police also said last week they were investigating so-called police stations in the country set up illegally by Beijing.

Relations between the two countries plunged into a deep freeze when the the Canadian authorities

arrested top Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in 2018

for allegedly flouting US sanctions on Iran.

Beijing later detained Canadian citizens Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig in China, in what critics called a tit-for-tat response. All three were released in 2021 after lengthy negotiations. REUTERS, AFP