Trudeau Holds His Ground With Angry Xi

Fearful of taking on the mighty United States, China has picked on the US's less powerful neighbour Canada.

The provocation for recent Chinese ire was Canada's 2019 arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, apparently at the US's request. Meng is Huawei Founder Ren Zhengfei's only child.

In retaliation, Beijing picked up two innocent Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor virtually off the street and imprisoned them for three years until protracted negotiations brought about an exchange a few months ago -- Wanzhou was permitted to return to China while Kovrig and Spavor flew home.

Justin Trudeau's government in Ottawa has been perturbed about China's interference in Canada's domestic politics and the startling revelation that Beijing had set up police stations in Canada to apparently intimidate Canadians of Chinese origin and ethnicity.

Under enormous domestic pressure to discuss these issues with the Chinese, Trudeau got an opportunity on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, on Tuesday to speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

That discussion apparently went off well, about which Trudeau's staff later briefed journalists traveling with the Canadian prime minister.

When Trudeau met Xi Jinping by chance in the G20 hall on Wednesday, the unscheduled encounter didn't go well for the young Canadian leader.

IMAGE: 'Everything we discuss has been leaked to the paper, that's not appropriate,' Xi admonished Trudeau. 'That's not how, the way the conversation was conducted.' Photographs: Adam Scotti/Prime Minister's Office/Reuters

IMAGE: As Trudeau listened, an unsmiling Xi -- who had the image of an always smiling panda when he came to power, but has increasingly acquired the stern accoutrements of an autocrat as he has demolished his opponents in China's Communist party -- went on to say via an interpreter: 'If there was sincerity on your part...'.

IMAGE: At which point, Trudeau, who was clearly shellshocked by the unexpected scolding from the world's second most powerful leader, interrupted Xi's interpreter to tell the Chinese tyrant: 'We believe in free and open and frank dialogue and that is what we will continue to have. We will continue to look to work constructively together, but there will be things we will disagree on, and we will have to..'

IMAGE: 'Let's create the conditions first,' Xi said, interrupting Trudeau.
Then almost as an afterthought, Xi extended his hand to Trudeau, whose father Pierre Trudeau was the first Canadian prime minister to travel to China almost 50 years ago, in October 1973, meeting Mao Zedong on that visit.

IMAGE: Xi and Trudeau then shook hands briefly before the Chinese party departed the hall. The lanky and tall Canadian, who was all by himself, walked out of the meeting room, clearly annoyed.

IMAGE: Before he left Bali, Trudeau spoke to Canadian journalists, telling them, 'I won't shy away from being open with Canadians, even as we discuss important and sometimes delicate subjects. Getting the balance right between being open about disagreements and issues we raised, while being able to work constructively at the same time, is something that people have to understand is what Canadians will always do.'
Xi Jinping has crushed free speech in China, imprisoned anyone who disgrees with him for lengthy jail terms.
The Communist despot won't get what a free world does, Justin. No autocrat will.

Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Mahipal Soni/Rediff.com