China declares a Canadian diplomat in Shanghai as “persona non grata“ in countermeasure

AFP: The Chinese foreign ministry declared a consul at Canada’s Consulate General in Shanghai persona non grata this afternoon and asked her to leave China no later than May 13. Could you offer more information on the reason behind this decision? Wang Wenbin: Despite China’s serious démarches, Canada declared a Chinese diplomat “persona non grata” based on the false accusation of Chinese interference in Canada’s internal affairs. We strongly condemn and firmly oppose this. China has lodged serious démarches and strong protests to Canada. China never interferes in other countries’ internal affairs. The interference claims about China are unfounded. They are ideology- and politically driven manipulation designed to slander and denigrate China. Canada’s ill-founded decision to declare our diplomat “persona non grata” is an egregious move that violates the basic norms governing international relations, and a deliberate blow to Canada’s relations with China.   For quite some time, Canadian media and senior politicians have cited so-called CSIS “classified documents” to smear the Chinese diplomatic and consular missions in Canada. None of the accusations are based on facts. They are trumped up with hidden agenda.   In reaction to Canada’s unscrupulous move, China has decided to take a reciprocal countermeasure by declaring Jennifer Lynn Lalonde, consul of the Consulate General of Canada in Shanghai persona non grata, who has been asked to leave China no later than May 13. This is a move to uphold China’s lawful rights and interests and is fully justified and necessary. I want to stress that the Chinese diplomatic and consular missions and our diplomats and consular personnel in Canada abide by relevant international conventions and Canada’s laws and regulations. They have performed their duty in accordance with the law. The Canadian government’s ill-founded and erroneous action seriously harms the lawful rights and interests of Chinese diplomatic and consular personnel. China does not accept this. We will not waver in our resolve to uphold China’s interests. We urge Canada to stop its provocation at once. If Canada decides to continue its wanton act, China will react firmly and all consequences arising therefrom must be borne by Canada. __________________ ShanghaiEye focuses on producing top-quality contents. Nobody knows SHANGHAI better than us. Please subscribe to us ☻☻☻ __________________ For more stories, please click ■ What’s up today in Shanghai, the most updated news of the city ■ Amazing Shanghai, exploring the unknown corners of the city, learning the people, food and stories behind them ■ What Chinese people’s lives are like during the post COVID-19 period ■ Views of foreign scholars on China and its affairs ■ Foreign faces in Shanghai, people living in this city sharing their true feelings ■ Mini-docs showing why China is the country it is today __________________ ☎Leave us messages if you have any suggestions or questions! Thank you!