Cong Peiwu, the Chinese ambassador to Canada, has since left his post and returned to China, according to a source with knowledge of the situation on Sunday ( Apr 21 ), with the news coming during a senior Canadian diplomat’s visit to the Asian nation.
Without being immediately available, additional facts about why he left his position. A request for comment was not instantly addressed by the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu and visiting Canadian Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrison spoke in conversation about” China-Canada relations and other issues of mutual interest and concern,” according to the Chinese government’s foreign ministry. “
The Chinese president’s exit was first reported by the Globe and Mail. Cong’s posting ended on Apr 9 and came as a shock to some in the political regiment because of its suddenness, the paper said, citing options.
Since Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of the Chinese telecoms gear company Huawei Technologies, was detained by French police on a US subpoena in 2018, ties between Ottawa and Beijing have been anxious. Afterwards, China detained People Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig.
In a move that was at the heart of Ottawa and Washington’s debate with Beijing, China had detained the two American people for more than 1,000 times. The men were freed in 2021 on the same day that Meng’s US Justice Department’s demand for repatriation was dropped, and she was later brought back to China.
Beijing and Ottawa have also been at conflict with one another over issues like China’s opposition to Canada’s opposition to its national security laws in Hong Kong and China’s reported interference in American elections, suspicions that China denies, and inquiries by American government agencies.