Canada calls Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei ‘persona non grata’

The federal government is expelling Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei, whom Canada’s spy agency alleged was involved in a plot to intimidate Conservative MP Michael Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says in a statement Monday that Canada has declared the Toronto-based diplomat as persona non grata due to “foreign interference in our internal affairs.”

“Diplomats in Canada have been warned that if they engage in this type of behaviour, they will be sent home,” Joly said.

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Joly, who warned last week that Beijing would retaliate if Ottawa did expel diplomats, says the decision comes after “careful consideration of all factors at play.”

She says that “defending our democracy is of the utmost importance,” after saying China could threaten Canadian’s safety and the prosperity of the country.

The federal government has confirmed a report in the Globe and Mail that CSIS had information in 2021 that the Chinese government was considering ways to intimidate Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong over his criticism of Beijing’s human-rights record.

China claims it does not interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, but says it will respond to what it calls provocations.

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