After he was spotted approaching Mr. Trudeau at the G20 summit about purported leaks from a meeting they conducted, Beijing’s foreign ministry stated that President Xi was not criticizing Mr. Trudeau.
After publicly reprimanding Justin Trudeau, China has stated that it encourages candid conversations so long as they are conducted on an equal footing.
The two were pictured bickering at the G20 conference in Indonesia after President Xi Jinping expressed his displeasure with Mr. Trudeau for reportedly leaking details of a conversation in which the Canadian prime minister addressed worries about alleged Chinese interference in his country’s affairs.
However, the Chinese foreign ministry stated that Mr. Xi was not criticizing Mr.
Beijing’s spokesperson Mao Ning stated that Canada is responsible for the current state of relations between Beijing and Ottawa and that Beijing hopes Canada will take steps to repair bilateral relationships.
“The video you cited was certainly a brief exchange between the two leaders at the G20 conference,” she replied.
“This is quite typical. I do not believe it should be taken as a criticism or accusation by Chairman Xi.”
The conversation between President Xi and Prime Minister Trudeau was overheard by a television camera.
What was discussed throughout their conversation?
Through an interpreter, Xi Jinping told Mr. Trudeau, “Everything we discussed has been released to the press; that’s inappropriate.”
Mr. Xi added, “And that’s not… how the conversation was handled, assuming your honesty,” at which time Mr. Trudeau interjected.
Mr. Trudeau stated, “In Canada, we believe in free, open, and candid conversation, and this will continue.”
We will continue to seek constructive collaboration, but there will be areas of disagreement.
Mr. Xi scanned the room as Mr. Trudeau responded.
Before shaking hands, Mr. Xi said through an interpreter, “Let’s first create the conditions.”
Trudeau raised ‘serious concerns
The two spoke for the first time at the G20 on Tuesday.
According to a Canadian official, they covered Ukraine, North Korea, and climate change, and Mr. Trudeau expressed “deep worries regarding interference actions in Canada.”
Later, when questioned at a news conference about the encounter, Mr. Trudeau stated, “Not every conversation is going to be easy, but we must continue to stand up for what’s important to Canadians.”
Leaders “articulating their respective stances”
Ms. Mao, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated, “I want to emphasize that China never interferes in the affairs of other nations.”
She did not specify if Mr. Trudeau’s mention of alleged Chinese involvement on Tuesday prompted the exchange between the two leaders on Wednesday.
Ms. Mao stated that Mr. Xi’s remark to Mr. Trudeau that “otherwise, the outcome will be difficult to predict” was not a threat because both leaders were engaged in a “regular conversation” and were only “expressing their separate perspectives.”
