Controversy over ‘donation of rich Chinese to father’s foundation’
After arrest of Huawei CFO, bad relationship with China continues
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (pictured), who faced a grave crisis after coming to power in 2015 due to allegations of Chinese meddling in elections, announced on the 7th that he was considering appointing a political opponent as a special rapporteur to investigate the case. The day before, he announced that he would commission an independent investigation into the case to the Special Rapporteur, and has been making political moves every day.
According to Canada’s CBC Broadcasting, Prime Minister Trudeau said on the same day, “I am open to various political parties (other than the ruling Liberal Party) proposing candidates for the special rapporteur.” ”he said.
Canadian politics are noisy over controversy over China’s meddling in the election. The ruling Liberal Party is considered relatively China-friendly compared to the main opposition Conservative Party. Reports followed that China mobilized a large number of Chinese students studying abroad to support at least 11 Liberal Party candidates in the 2019 and 2021 general elections to extend the Liberal Party’s power. Afterwards, it was revealed that the foundation named after Trudeau’s father, former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who served as Prime Minister twice from the 1960s to the 1980s, received a donation of 200,000 Canadian dollars (about 200 million won) from a Chinese wealthy person. It also turned into a problem. The Prime Minister’s Office said, “The donation was returned in full, and the Prime Minister did not know about it,” but the controversy has not subsided.
On the 7th, the US political media Politico analyzed that “even the supporters of the Liberal Party believe in the possibility of China interfering in the election.” An official from the Conservative Party made it clear that it would continue its political offensive, saying, “We lost at least eight or nine seats in the general election due to China’s interference.”
The bad relationship between China and Canada is also a hot topic. In 2018, at the request of the United States, Canada detained Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer and daughter of the founder of Huawei, China’s largest telecommunications equipment company. China then arrested two Canadians in China on charges of espionage. Canada has also banned the use of fifth-generation (5G) equipment made by Huawei.
At the G20 summit held in Bali, Indonesia last November, Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Trudeau, whom he met at a banquet hall. Earlier, when reports emerged that Prime Minister Trudeau had expressed concern about China’s interference in the election to President Xi, an unusual situation was created in which President Xi protested, saying, “All of the conversations we had were leaked to the media.”
Even this year, the conflict is still there. Canada recently decided to ban the use of China’s video-sharing platform ‘TikTok’. It also points out that China has been conducting reconnaissance activities not only in the US but also in its own airspace using reconnaissance balloons. China is fiercely protesting.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.