Canada says it has real concerns over China's human rights, Beijing protests

By David Ljunggren

 

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responds to a question about whether Canada's treatment of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls amounting to genocide during a news conference after announcing a $1.4 billion annual commitment to support women's global health at the Women Deliver 2019 Conference at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, B.C., Canada June 4, 2019. REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson

 

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau marked the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown on Tuesday by expressing "real concerns" about China's human rights record, prompting a swift protest from Beijing.

 

Diplomatic relations between the two countries have deteriorated badly since December when police in Vancouver detained Huawei Technologies Co Ltd Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. arrest warrant.

 

Trudeau said Canada continued to call on China to "respect human rights, to respect the right to protest, to respect freedom of expression" and stop its mass detention of Uighurs and other Muslims.

 

"We have real concerns about China's behavior in regards to human rights and will continue to ... call for better respect of human rights on this anniversary and every day going forward," he told reporters in Vancouver.

 

Security in Tiananmen Square on Tuesday was tighter than usual. The anniversary of the crackdown, when Beijing sent troops and tanks to quell pro-democracy activists, is not spoken of openly in China.

 

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement that Canada wanted Chinese authorities "to break the silence on these events by openly accounting for the Chinese citizens who were killed, detained or went missing."

 

The Chinese Embassy in Ottawa said the remarks by Trudeau and his government were "gross accusations" that represented flagrant interference in China's internal affairs.

 

"The Chinese side firmly opposes it and has made stern representations to the Canadian side. Any attempt to ... destabilize our country is doomed to fail," the mission said in a statement.

 

Shortly after Trudeau spoke, Reuters reported that China planned to boost inspections of imported Canadian meats and meat products, a move industry executives said could have "a disastrous effect."

 

Chinese authorities detained two Canadians shortly after Meng's arrest and formally charged them last month with espionage. China also has cut off imports of key Canadian commodities in an effort to force Meng's return.

 

"We deplore the arbitrary detention of Canadians and other political prisoners in China and we have made that point directly to the Chinese leadership," said Trudeau.

 

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-06-05

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4 hours ago, webfact said:

China also has cut off imports of key Canadian commodities in an effort to force Meng's return.

Shame on you China, trying to interfere in Canadian internal affairs...

Nobody outside of Canada gives a tinkers fart what the Canadian government thinks.  Though with an election around the corner and the negative outcomes with China of late I can understand why he needs to say something to the Canadian voters.

Even though China is ever tightening the economic screws in an already bad business climate the country still has the cojones to call out the heartless pricks, I like that...

...something on your nose, son...and it's not maple syrup...

 

...you have countless wrongs to right regarding the Native Peoples.....

 

 

Mad respect for Canada

It's not about trade

17 hours ago, SOTIRIOS said:

...something on your nose, son...and it's not maple syrup...

 

...you have countless wrongs to right regarding the Native Peoples.....

 

 

Very true, one of our most shameful periods. Colonialism didn't have to be about genocide but in many cases world wide it was, including Canada. The basic impetus of colonialism was greed but it evolved into racism. 

6 minutes ago, from the home of CC said:

Very true, one of our most shameful periods. Colonialism didn't have to be about genocide but in many cases world wide it was, including Canada. The basic impetus of colonialism was greed but it evolved into racism. 

 

So China is off the hook, then?

“Canada says it has real concerns over China's human rights”

 

As do very many of the Chinese who choose to live in Canada rather than China.

Someone please tell this guy to stop digging. The hole is getting so deep he will be hitting China soon. 

On ‎6‎/‎5‎/‎2019 at 12:17 PM, webfact said:

"We have real concerns about China's behavior in regards to human rights

Seriously? They don't actually KNOW about all the human rights atrocities the Chinese government indulges in?????

Just have to look at Tibet to know.

On ‎6‎/‎5‎/‎2019 at 9:48 PM, from the home of CC said:

Even though China is ever tightening the economic screws in an already bad business climate the country still has the cojones to call out the heartless pricks, I like that...

If they actually DO something I'll have respect. Till then...…………….

Most countries in the world wouldn't say shit if their mouth was full of it they're so scared of the Chinese (and the Saudi's while we're at it).