In a tit-for-tat move, China has expelled a Canadian diplomat in Shanghai, a day after Canada announced it would expel a Chinese diplomat over allegations he was involved in efforts to intimidate a Canadian politician. This marks a new low in a years-long deterioration of ties between the two countries and comes amid a period of rising concerns in Canada about Chinese influence. There have been allegations of Chinese interference in Canadian politics, including the country's elections.
On Tuesday, China’s Foreign Ministry said it strongly condemned the expulsion of Toronto-based diplomat Zhao Wei and, as a "reciprocal countermeasure," would declare Jennifer Lynn Lalonde, a consul of the Consulate General of Canada in Shanghai, persona non grata. Lalonde has been asked to leave China before May 13, according to the statement.
Canada moved to expel Zhao on Monday, following mounting public pressure, after the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) found an accredited Chinese diplomat in the country had taken efforts toward targeting opposition lawmaker Michael Chong and relatives who may be in China. The alleged targeting took place after Chong sponsored a motion to condemn China’s treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority group.
The two countries’ relations have already come under significant strain in recent years, in particular following Beijing’s detention of two Canadians in China in a move widely seen as retaliation for Canada’s 2018 arrest of a Chinese businesswoman Meng Wanzhou. Beijing has repeatedly denied accusations of political interference in Canada.
China has yet to specify what “countermeasures” it may take in response to Zhao’s expulsion, but these could include a tit-for-tat expulsion of a diplomat at Canada’s mission in China. Beijing is also widely seen to have a track record of using economic or trade-related measures to express displeasure with diplomatic partners.