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VIDEO | At G20 Summit, Xi Jinping confronts Canada's Trudeau over 'media leaks'
In their Tuesday meeting, the first in three years, Justin Trudeau discussed his concerns about Chinese "interference activities" in Canada on the sidelines of a Group of 20 meeting in Bali.
After media reports claimed that Justin Trudeau raised "serious concerns" over suspected domestic interference by Beijing in his talks with Xi Jinping on Tuesday, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali, a video has surfaced in which the Chinese president apparently confronted the Canadian prime minister on Wednesday, complaining Trudeau’s office had published details of an earlier conversation between them.
“Everything we said has been leaked to the papers, that’s not appropriate,” Xi says, adding, “that’s not the way the conversation was conducted", The Globe And Mail reported.
“If you are sincere, we should communicate with each other in a respectful manner, otherwise it will be hard to say what the result will be like,” Xi added, as Trudeau nodded, waiting for a translation.
In the video, posted by CTV National News journalist Annie Bergeron-Oliver, the two can be seen then shaking hands after the brief conversation.
In their Tuesday meeting, the first in three years, Trudeau discussed his concerns about Chinese "interference activities" in Canada on the sidelines of a Group of 20 meeting on the Indonesian island of Bali, a Canadian government source told news agency Reuters.
The "interference" is likely a reference to a November 7 Canadian media report that cited intelligence officials saying they suspected China of meddling in the 2019 election. Also, an employee at Canada's largest electricity producer was arrested and charged by police on Monday over allegations of trying to steal trade secrets for China.
Trudeau and Xi also discussed Russia's invasion of Ukraine, North Korea, and the importance of December's summit in Montreal "to protect nature and fight climate change", the source said. They also talked about "the importance of continued dialogue," the source told Reuters.
(With inputs from Reuters)
