A spokesman for China’s foreign ministry did not comment on whether Xi’s videoed rant was because Trudeau had told the media that he had talked about possible Chinese espionage in Canada.
China’s manager Xi Jinping did not criticize the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeauta at the G20 meeting, the Chinese Foreign Ministry says according to the news agency Reuters.
Spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mao Ning denied at a media briefing on Thursday that Xi had criticized or even threatened Trudeau.
HS said on Wednesday that Xi lectured Trudeau that he had “leaked” the content of their previous meeting to the media.
Read more: Xi Jinping ripped Trudeau in an extraordinary way
It is known that Trudeau had told the media what topics had been discussed during the ten-minute meeting with Xi. Xi’s rip was considered extraordinary for a leader whose public image is closely guarded.
“Everything we discussed was leaked to the press. It is not appropriate,” Xi had said when he met Trudeau at the meeting venue.
“If [teillä] there is honesty, we can communicate well and in a spirit of mutual respect. Otherwise, it is not easy to know the consequences,” Xi said, according to Reuters.
Some media interpreted Xi’s comment as a veiled threat. The exchange of words through an interpreter was witnessed by at least one television cameraman.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao told the media meeting that China supports open discussion “as long as it is conducted on an equal footing”. China also hopes that Canada will take steps to improve bilateral relations between the two countries.
“The video actually shows a short conversation between the two leaders during the G20 meeting. This is very normal. I don’t think it should be interpreted as Chairman Xi criticizing or blaming anyone.”
According to the spokesman, Xi’s testimony, which was interpreted as a threat, was not a threat, as the heads of state had a “normal” conversation and only “expressed their own point of view”.
Mao said he also wanted to emphasize that China has never interfered in the affairs of other countries. He did not say why the heads of state exchanged words or whether it was because Trudeau had expressed to the media his concerns about Chinese espionage in Canada and about China’s possible interference in the 2019 Canadian elections.
According to a Canadian government source, the discussion at the meeting was informal, which is why neither side has issued an official statement about it.
It was the first conversation between Xi and Trudeau in more than three years.