Canada will ‘never tolerate’ foreign interference, foreign minister tells China

OTTAWA: Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly told her Chinese counterpart Qin Gang on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi that Canada will never tolerate any form of foreign interference in its internal affairs, according to a statement from Joly on Friday.

Joly was “direct, firm, and unequivocal” in her first meeting with Qin as China’s foreign minister, according to the statement. Recent Canadian media reports, citing anonymous intelligence sources, have alleged attempts by China to interfere in Canada’s last two elections. Beijing denies those allegations.

“Canada will never tolerate any form of foreign interference in our democracy and internal affairs by China,” Joly told Qin, according to statement. “We will never accept any breach of our territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Joly said. “We will never accept any breach by Chinese diplomats of the Vienna Convention on Canada’s soil.”