KATHMANDU. China said Tuesday it was open to improving ties with Canada after Prime Minister Mark Carney won the country’s election to lead his Liberal Party to another term in power.
“China is willing to develop China-Canada relations on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiaqun. The results in Canada are an extraordinary comeback for the Liberals.
The Liberals had looked set to be swept by the election earlier in the year. Beijing stopped short of congratulating Carney on Tuesday, but said, “China’s position on China-Canada relations is consistent and clear.” Relations between Beijing and Ottawa have been tense in recent years.
The arrest of a senior Chinese telecommunications executive in Vancouver on a US warrant in December 2018 and Beijing’s retaliatory detention of two Canadians on espionage charges have deeply strained ties. Relations have been further strained by allegations of Chinese interference in Canadian elections in 2019 and 2021.
Beijing has denied the allegations of interference. Foreign Minister Melania Joly expelled a Chinese diplomat in 2023 for targeting a Canadian opposition lawmaker and her family, who are outspoken critics of the ruling Communist Party in Beijing. Ottawa has also criticized security tightening in Hong Kong and China’s treatment of its Uighur Muslim minority.
Last month, Jolie told reporters in Ottawa that China had executed four Canadian citizens in recent weeks, defying Canada’s appeals for mercy. China has claimed it acted “in accordance with the law” in carrying out the executions.
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