China And Canada Expel Each Other’s Diplomats; 'Will Not Be Intimidated', Says Trudeau

China declared a Canadian diplomat as 'persona non grata' on Tuesday (9 May) and expelled her from the country in retaliation to Canada’s decision to expel a Chinese diplomat.

The Foreign Ministry of the People’s Republic of China said it was deploying a “reciprocal countermeasure to Canada’s unscrupulous move".

The Canadian diplomat has been asked to leave by 13 May and the country reserves the right to “take further action in response,” the Ministry said.

Earlier, Toronto-based Globe and Mail newspaper reported on 1 May that the nation’s intelligence services had uncovered threats against lawmaker Michael Chong in response to a motion passed in Canada’s parliament in 2021 that declared China’s treatment of Uyghur’s minority as a “genocide”.

This led to the Canadian Foreign Ministry expelling Zhao Wei, an official at the Chinese consulate in Toronto, and declaring him ‘persona non grata’.

“We will not tolerate any form of foreign interference in our internal affairs,” Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said.

This led to China issuing a similar order against Canadian diplomat Jennifer Lalonde, giving her three days to leave the country.

Persona non grata, a Latin phrase meaning “unwelcome person”, refers to a diplomat whose entering or remaining in a country has been prohibited.

Responding to the newspaper reports on intimidation by the Chinese diplomat, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier said that he was not aware of the issue.

However, he later affirmed that the decision to expel the Chinese diplomat was taken with “careful consideration” and that his government won’t be swayed by the Chinese response.

The recent diplomatic spat between the two countries is one in a long series of tussles, going back to the arrest of top officials of the Chinese telecom major Huawei who were kept under house arrest for two years.

China banned canola exports to Canada in response, a move that was taken back only in 2022.

Chinese President Xi Jinping also confronted Trudeau during the G20 meeting in Bali Indonesia in November last year, accusing him of leaking details of a private meeting.