China’s Xi Jinping confronts PM Trudeau over ‘media leaks’

“Everything we discussed has been leaked to the papers, that is not appropriate. And that was not the way the conversation was conducted”

~Chinese President Xi Jinping

While on the ongoing South Asia tour, Canadian officials have not shied away from their scrutiny of China. At the G20 summit on Tuesday, Trudeau reportedly had expressed concerns to Chinese President Xi Jinping over China’s “meddling” in Canadian affairs, likely referencing the 2019 elections as well as the Chinese overseas police service stations.

In a viral video from the summit that has since made rounds on social media, Xi retaliated by confronting PM Trudeau about Canada’s “inappropriate” way of handling interpersonal relations between the nations. The Chinese President could be seen accusing Trudeau of ‘leaking” everything they talk about to media outlets.

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

“Everything we discussed has been leaked to the papers, that is not appropriate. And that was not the way the conversation was conducted, ” Xi accused, through a translator.

The Canadian Prime Minister, in the brief meeting, seemed to politely hold his stance, replying, “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.”

Looking away in disagreement, Xi replied, “Let’s create the conditions first.”

On Monday, the RCMP charged a Montreal resident with four charges in relation to allegedly spying ” to benefit the People’s Republic of China”. The accused has since been detained.

The 35-year-old accused, identified as Yuesheng Wang, is said to have spied for trade secrets between February 2018 and October 2022.

Since the arrest, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a media address that Canada should “handle the case according to law rather than politicize it.”

Earlier this month, a spokesperson for Canada’s Department of National Defence stated that the department had taken notice of the reports circulating that China is trying to offer payouts to ex-Military Pilots from Canada, the UK, and Australia among other nations to train its Air Force.