In a reciprocal countermeasure, China’s foreign ministry announced on Tuesday that it will expel a Canadian diplomat from its Shanghai Consulate.
According to a statement posted on its website, Jennifer Lynn Lalonde has been asked to leave China by May 13.
This move comes after Canada earlier expelled a Chinese national, Cong Peiwu, from its embassy in Ottawa in 2019.
Cong was declared persona non-grata by Canada after Chinese authorities arbitrarily detained two Canadian citizens, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, in a move widely seen as retaliation for Canada’s arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou.
China’s decision to expel Lalonde has been met with disappointment by the Canadian government, with a spokesperson from the Canadian Foreign Ministry saying, “We are disappointed by the decision of the Chinese government to expel a Canadian diplomat.
We have raised our concerns at a high level with the Chinese government and called on China to reverse its decision.”
The recent diplomatic tensions between China and Canada have added to the already strained relationship between the two countries.
Canada has been critical of China’s human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, while China has accused Canada of meddling in its internal affairs.
