the chinese president Xi Jinping scolded the Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau before cameras during the 2020 summit in Indonesia, in a rare public incident that could complicate already tense bilateral relations.
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Images recorded Wednesday by journalists on the island of Bali, where the leaders of the world’s 20 largest economies met, show Xi criticizing Trudeau in a cordial but serious mannerafter the alleged leak in the press of details of a bilateral interview the day before.
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The Canadian prime minister indicated that during the meeting he mentioned “the question of Chinese interference”, after Canada accused China of interfering in its democratic and judicial systems.
“Everything we talked about was leaked to the newspapers. It’s not appropriate,” Xi Jinping tells Justin Trudeau, according to this nearly one-minute video posted on the Twitter social network.
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Everything we talked about was leaked to the newspapers. It’s not appropriate.
In a calm tone and with a smile, the president, who speaks in Chinese, adds: “And besides, that was not the way the discussion developed, was it?”
Their statements are translated into English by an interpreter. “If there is sincerity (on his part), we should have a discussion based on mutual respect. If not, the outcome will be unpredictable,” Xi continued.
The Chinese president then apparently tries to leave, but the Canadian prime minister responds, even before hearing the translation of Xi Jinping’s words.
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‘We won’t agree’
“In Canada we believe in free, open and frank dialogue. And that is what we are going to continue to do,” Justin Trudeau said in English. “We will continue to seek to work together constructively, but there will be things on which we will not agree,” he stresses.
With his hands up and open before him, Xi Jinping ends the conversation, telling him twice in a calm manner: “Create the conditions. Create the conditions (necessary to improve relationships).”
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With a smile, Xi shakes hands with the Canadian prime minister and then departs. Asked this Thursday about the issue at a regular press point in Beijing, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, minimized the issue.
“The video (…) contained a brief conversation between the leaders of two countries during the G20 summit. It is something normal,” he declared. “I don’t think this should be construed as criticism or scolding of any kind from President Xi,” he said.
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I don’t think this should be construed as criticism or scolding of any kind on the part of President Xi.
The tone of the exchange was similar to that of “a ‘great’ power addressing a less great one,” says Van Jackson, professor of International Relations at the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.
“Xi’s language and position are nothing unusual – in private – for a conversation between government officials who are not on good terms,” this expert stressed to AFP.
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The Cdn Pool cam captured a tough talk between Chinese President Xi & PM Trudeau at the G20 today. In it, Xi expresses 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
old tensions
The meeting on Tuesday between Xi Jinping and Justin Trudeau was the first face-to-face between the two leaders since 2019.
The Canadian federal police indicated last Thursday that it was carrying out an investigation into alleged “police stations” illegally established by China in Canada to control, for example, its exiled or expatriate citizens.
Justin Trudeau also declared last week that China was engaged in “aggressive games”after the Canadian channel Global News reported Chinese interference in the electoral process in Canada.
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Relations between Canada and China have deteriorated sharply in recent years, especially since the 2018 detention in Vancouver of a Huawei executive on US orders, and the detention by Beijing of two Canadians in apparent retaliation.
The three were freed last year as part of a deal with US prosecutors, but their wounds have not healed.
AFP
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