Video shows Xi confront Trudeau over leaks in G-20 clash - NBC News

Asked astir the video astatine a quality league successful Bali connected Wednesday, Trudeau confirmed that helium had raised the question of overseas interference with Xi. 

“Not each speech is ever going to beryllium easy, but it’s highly important that we proceed to basal up for the things that are important for Canadians,” helium said. “This is thing we ever do, and we volition proceed to.”

Trudeau sidestepped a question astir whether the confrontation was a “power play” by Xi.

Xi appears to beryllium expressing “total contempt” for Trudeau successful the video, Brian Lee Crowley, managing manager of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, a deliberation vessel successful Ottawa, told NBC News.

The Canadian premier curate “is desperately trying to beryllium taken earnestly by this antheral who won’t adjacent look astatine him,” helium said. “[Xi] keeps turning distant from him, the assemblage connection is conscionable terrible.”

But Trudeau was astir apt speaking to a broader assemblage than conscionable Xi, Crowley said, arsenic helium faces unit to follow a tougher enactment connected China from anxious voters astatine location arsenic good arsenic the United States and different wide democracies. “I don’t deliberation it was a large occurrence for Trudeau surely successful presumption of home nationalist opinion, but I’m definite it was noticed successful Washington,” helium said.

Tensions betwixt Canada and China person grown precocious implicit accusations that Beijing interfered successful the country’s 2019 election. Last week, Trudeau said China and different authorities actors were playing “aggressive games” to undermine antiauthoritarian institutions, portion Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly described China arsenic an “increasingly disruptive planetary power.”

While Trudeau and Xi were astatine the G-20 summit, an worker astatine Hydro-Québec, Canada’s largest energy producer, was arrested connected suspicion of spying for China. Early this month, the Canadian authorities ordered 3 Chinese companies to divest from captious minerals successful the country, citing nationalist information concerns. 

Canadian constabulary are besides investigating allegations that Chinese officials person acceptable up concealed “police stations” successful the Toronto country arsenic portion of an cognition against Chinese dissidents overseas. Beijing says the overseas outposts are work centers that assistance Chinese nationals surviving overseas renew their driver’s licenses, among different things.

Among the astir damaging blows to Canada-China relations successful caller years was the 2018 apprehension successful China of 2 Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, aft Canadian officials arrested Chinese tech enforcement Meng Wanzhou astatine the petition of U.S. authorities seeking her extradition. Kovrig and Spavor were detained for much than 1,000 days connected spying charges earlier being released successful September 2021, conscionable arsenic Meng was allowed to instrumentality to China.

Though Xi had bilateral meetings astatine the G-20 acme with President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, helium did not person specified a gathering with Trudeau.