Wang Yi Talks with Canadian Foreign Minister... Expresses Emotions over Meng Wanzhou and Others

The Meng Wanzhou Issue Is U.S. Coercion to Suppress Advanced Technology
"Do Not View China's Politics, Economy, and Society Through a Western Lens"

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported on the 6th that Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Melanie Joly, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, had a phone conversation on the 5th.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Since 2020, when the Canadian political sphere pointed to China as the origin of COVID-19, relations between China and Canada have been strained.

In particular, the detention of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), further damaged bilateral relations.

During the call, Minister Wang first brought up the Meng Wanzhou case.

Minister Wang said, "China and Canada have had friendly exchanges for a long time, but the Meng Wanzhou incident severely deteriorated the relationship between the two countries." He went on to claim that the essence of the Meng Wanzhou case stems from the United States’ coercive methods aimed at suppressing Chinese companies possessing advanced technology. He added, "No country should use deceit to harass another country, and all countries have the right to respond to such unilateral claims."

Minister Wang stated that the current state of bilateral relations is not beneficial to either side and expressed willingness to improve relations with Canada.

Xinhua News Agency reported that Minister Wang proposed three measures to restore bilateral relations. First, he said that China’s political system and development are the choice of 1.4 billion Chinese people and have historical grounds. He emphasized that China’s politics, economy, and society should not be viewed from a Western perspective.

Minister Wang argued, "There is no historical entanglement or conflict of interest between China and Canada," and that the approach should be pragmatic, based on mutual benefit.

He also stated that the "One China Principle" is the political foundation of China-Canada relations and requested Canada to take a correct stance and attitude regarding China’s core interests.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Finally, Minister Wang said that bilateral relations should be decided independently and that removing external interference (the United States) is a condition for healthy and stable development of China-Canada relations.

Judging from the Xinhua report alone, Minister Wang’s tone during the call appeared somewhat firm and resolute. It is presumed that language reflecting accumulated emotions was used rather than diplomatic rhetoric. Minister Wang used direct expressions by naming the Meng Wanzhou issue explicitly rather than using indirect references, and he also criticized the Western camp’s perspective on China.

The Taiwan issue was explicit. He demanded a correct stance and attitude regarding Taiwan, which is a core interest of China.

Minister Joly said, "The People’s Republic of China is one of the first socialist countries recognized by Canada," and that Canada respects China’s sovereignty, system, and the autonomous choice of the Chinese people, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Minister Joly further responded, "Canada is willing to restore relations with China based on mutual respect." She also said that if China’s contributions to COVID-19 eradication are highly appreciated, Canada is willing to strengthen cooperation with China on issues such as climate change, Xinhua reported.

Xinhua News Agency also reported that during this highest-level diplomatic call between China and Canada, opinions were exchanged on the Ukraine issue.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.