China's Xi rebukes Canada's Trudeau over media leaks

Chinese President Xi Jinping reprimanded on Wednesday Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over media leaks of the two leaders' meeting, during an encounter on the sidelines of the G20 summit captured on camera.

The Chinese leader's heated demeanor is rare, as his media appearances are normally heavily controlled and orchestrated.

But in the video, broadcast by Canadian media and widely circulated on social media, Jinping is seen accusing Trudeau of sharing with the media an allegedly inaccurate account of their earlier encounter.

The stand-off comes amid heightened tensions between the two countries.

On Monday, Canadian authorities arrested an employee of public utility firm Hydro-Quebec and charged him with espionage for allegedly trying to steal trade secrets and sending them to China.

What was said at the encounter?

The video capturing the encounter shows Xi and Trudeau in close proximity in what appears to be the G20 venue. An interpreter is seen between the two men. 

"Everything we discussed has been leaked to the paper; that's not appropriate,'' the interpreter is heard saying, translating Xi's words. "And that's not... the way the conversation was conducted, if there is sincerity on your part…''

Trudeau then interrupts the interpreter mid-sentence, saying: "In Canada, we believe in free and open and frank dialogue and that is what we will continue to have. We will continue to look to work constructively together, but there will be things we will disagree on.''

"Let's create the conditions first,'' Xi responded through the interpreter, shaking Trudeau's hand before taking his leave.

What happened during the two leaders' initial one-to-one?

Canada never released an official readout from Xi and Trudeau's meeting, which lasted for about 10 minutes in Bali on Tuesday. China's Foreign Ministry and state media similarly refrained from publishing anything concerning the informal talks.

However, Trudeau addressed the confrontation in a press conference later, saying: "Not every conversation is always going to be easy, but it's extremely important that we continue to stand up for the things that are important for Canadians."

Topics brought up at the one-to-one included Russia's invasion of Ukraine, North Korea and climate change, a Canadian government official told the Associated Press (AP) news agency. Trudeau also reportedly raised the "serious concerns around interference activities in

Canada."

Xi's behavior 'very unusual'

Guy Saint-Jacques, a former Canadian ambassador to China, told the AP that Xi's behavior was unusual, though he believed that the "tirade" was purposefully done in front of the camera.

"It's very unusual to see Xi Jinping engaging in this kind of public exercise to criticize someone,'' Saint-Jacques said as he analyzed the video. He speculated that the encounter was only a sign that Sino-Canadian relations would further sour.

Since the detention of Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou in 2018 and Beijing's subsequent arrest of two Canadians on spying charges, diplomatic relations between Canada and China have been frayed. All three people were released last year.

rmt/fb (AP, Reuters)