Beijing hits out at false accusations by Ottawa

Beijing has lodged a strong protest over Ottawa's groundless slander and defamation over the normal performance of duties by the Chinese embassy and consulates in Canada, and vowed to take forceful measures in response.

Speaking at a regular news briefing on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said China is strongly dissatisfied with Canada's accusations that a Chinese diplomat sought to "intimidate" a Canadian lawmaker.

Mao said a senior official at the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry has made serious representations to the Canadian ambassador to China.

"The so-called 'intimidation' as hyped up by some Canadian politicians and media is a completely unfounded fabrication and a political farce driven by ideological bias," Mao said.

On Thursday, Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said her country had summoned Cong Peiwu, the Chinese ambassador to Canada, to express frustration over his so-called "attempts to meddle in Canada's domestic affairs" following allegations that Beijing "threatened" Michael Chong, an opposition party legislator, and his family.

According to a statement published by the Chinese embassy in Canada, Cong set forth China's stern position and protested strongly over the Canadian side's threat to expel relevant Chinese diplomatic and consular personnel based on rumors of so-called "China interference" when meeting with a senior Canadian diplomatic official.

Cong said that China has always adhered to the principle of noninterference in other countries' internal affairs and he urged the Canadian side to immediately stop this self-directed political farce and not go further down a wrong and dangerous path.

Should the Canadian side continue to make provocations, China will respond in kind every step of the way until the very end, Cong said.

Michael Chong was among the Canadian individuals sanctioned by the Chinese government after the United States and Canada imposed unilateral sanctions on relevant individuals and entities in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, based on rumors and disinformation, in March 2021.

According to Mao, the spokeswoman, it was the Canadian side that initially provoked the situation and China's forceful response is entirely legitimate and necessary.

At the news briefing, Mao also denounced the increasing military collusion between the US and the Taiwan region as 25 US arms dealers visited Taiwan for a so-called defense industry forum.

"US arms sales to Taiwan gravely violate the one-China principle and the stipulations in the three China-US joint communiques, and China is firmly opposed to it," Mao said, adding that Washington is turning Taiwan into a "powder keg" and it is the Taiwan compatriots that will ultimately suffer.