Xi Jinping’s threatened rebuke of Justin Trudeau was a strange and surprising move by the Chinese president, highlighting the disdain he has for the Canadian prime minister, according to some experts and former diplomats.
“He certainly wouldn’t talk to the president of the United States like that. So it suggests that Mr. Xi has some contempt for the prime minister and doesn’t see Canada as an important partner,” said Charles Burton, senior fellow at Macdonald-Laurier Institute and former diplomat in China.
Burton said he found the language used by Xi during his interaction with Trudeau at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, to be “quite dismissive and threatening,” indicating that any illusions the government has that China will respect Canada as an influential nation in the world. they are long gone.
Xi’s remarks are ‘highly offensive’
“I think overall it was very unpleasant. I found it very offensive in terms of its intent,” Burton said.
“We have not seen the president of China engage in this truly undiplomatic and harsh language with a counterpart leader of another country”
Trudeau and Xi spoke briefly face-to-face on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali on Tuesday. After the unofficial meeting, the Prime Minister’s Office conducted a reading of the conversation that noted the issues that were discussed and who raised them.
LOOK | Xi Jinping accuses Trudeau of leaking the discussion to the media:
Xi Jinping accuses Trudeau of leaking the discussion to the media
Chinese President Xi Jinping has rebuked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for leaking details of a discussion between the leaders to the press.
According to the reading, during the brief discussion between the two leaders, who have been at odds over trade, the arrest and detention in China of two Canadians and Canada’s arrest and detention of a Chinese Huawei executive , Trudeau expressed concern about media reports that China covertly funded 11 candidates in the 2019 federal election.
But then the two crossed paths again in a public space in Bali, in full view of the media, who captured their exchange.
Through an interpreter, Xi accused Trudeau of improperly leaking the content of their discussion and also claimed that what was reported in the media was not an accurate reflection of their conversation.
Trudeau interrupted the Chinese leader, saying Canada believes in “free, open and frank dialogue” and that even if they have disagreements, they should work together.
Xi wanted the exchange to be seen, expert says
However, Xi’s translator did not translate everything the president said.
According to a translation by The Canadian Press, Xi also told Trudeau that “we should hold talks respectfully, otherwise the outcome cannot be predicted.”
After the exchange, the pair shook hands and parted ways.
During his closing press conference, Trudeau responded to the incident, saying his government is confident its citizens want to be informed about the work it is doing on their behalf.
“I will not shy away from being open with Canadians, even as we discuss important and sometimes sensitive issues,” the prime minister said.
Lynette Ong, a professor of political science at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, said Xi is someone who tends to mince his words and is very careful about what he says in public.
He said Xi knew his rebuke would be picked up by the media, meaning he wanted this “dressing up” to be seen by a domestic and international audience.
LOOK | Xi confronts Trudeau ‘very rare’, former ambassador says:
Xi facing Trudeau was ‘preordained’, former ambassador says
“It’s very rare for Xi Jinping to have this kind of behavior,” former Canadian ambassador to China Guy Saint-Jacques said of Xi confronting Trudeau. “He’s very agitated, his face is red, his arms are moving … and he knows the cameras are rolling.”
The threat may have economic and diplomatic implications
Guy Saint-Jacques, who was Canada’s ambassador to China from 2012 to 2016, said the whole thing was “pre-ordained” and that Xi wanted to convey a clear message to Trudeau while the cameras were rolling.
“I would agree that it was a veiled threat, and I find this whole episode very surprising because it’s very rare that Xi Jinping would engage in this kind of behavior,” Saint-Jacques told the Power & Politics host of CBC, David Cochrane.
Xi’s goal was to publicly embarrass Trudeau at home and around the world, Saint-Jacques said, noting that the confrontation shows the Chinese president’s contempt for the prime minister.
“We must pay attention to this veiled threat, for what does he have in mind?”
Eurasia Group president Ian Bremmer told Power & Politics that he believes Xi’s threat to Trudeau was not veiled but “pretty direct” and that there could be economic or diplomatic implications.
LOOK | Xi made a “pretty direct threat” to Trudeau, analyst says:
Xi made a “pretty direct threat” to Trudeau: Ian Bremmer
“It wasn’t a veiled threat. I think it was a pretty direct threat,” Eurasia Group president Ian Bremmer said of comments Chinese President Xi Jinping made to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “It was like I was delivering a message and doing without Trudeau.”
“We have already seen that the Chinese are willing to make an example of individual leaders and countries when they feel slighted.”
Bremmer said it was as if Xi was delivering a message and bypassing Trudeau.
“He showed absolute indifference to that sentence that Trudeau gave to try to justify his perspective on the relationship. This is not how you want a relationship between the Canadians and the Chinese,” Bremmer said.
“So obviously the Canadians, and frankly the Americans as well, there’s going to be some serious thinking about how to handle this going forward.”
Canada’s Indo-Pacific strategy is likely to anger Beijing
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Saint-Jacques said his advice to Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly is that she should talk to her Chinese counterpart at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and try to do damage control.
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“To say, ‘Look, we’ve got to turn the temperature down. I know you don’t like our Indo-Pacific strategy, but we have issues to talk to you about. We can help you in some areas that will benefit both sides. And we’re trying to push that forward.'” , he said.
“But I think in the case of the prime minister and President Xi, it will be difficult to move forward.”