VIDEO: Chinese President Xi berates Canadian PM Trudeau ahead of APEC

Things could get a bit feisty ahead of tomorrow’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok after Chinese President Xi Jinping and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau exchanged a few choice words at the G20 Summit in Indonesia.

President Xi yesterday confronted Canadian PM Trudeau at the summit in Bali and accused him of lacking “sincerity” after he leaked details of a meeting between the pair to the press.

The media filmed Xi approaching Trudeau and, through a translator, told him it was “not appropriate” that details about a conversation between the two leaders was shared with the press.

“Everything we discuss has been leaked to the paper, that’s not appropriate. And that’s not the way the conversation was conducted.

“If there is sincerity, we can communicate well with mutual respect. Otherwise, the outcome will not be easy to tell.”

The Canadian PM replied…

“In Canada, 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 disagree on.”

But before Trudeau could finish what he was saying, Xi interrupted and told him to “let’s create the conditions first” before shaking Trudeau’s hand and walking away.

Xi’s rebuke is in reply to Trudeau saying that China had attempted to undermine Canada’s democracy. The Canadian PM had been briefed that China had interfered in the 2019 federal election in Canada. In 2018 Canada arrested Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou and in response, Beijing arrested two Canadians on spying charges. All three were later released.

On Monday, Canadian police charged a researcher at Quebec’s power company with being a spy and sending trade secrets to China.

Xi snubbed Trudeau at the G20, instead, the Chinese president made time to meet US President Joe Biden in a closed-door meeting that lasted more than three and a half hours. Xi also met French President Emmanuel Macron and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Trudeau spoke to the press after the exchange with Xi and said not every conversation with the Chinese leader would be easy.

“Canada needs to be able to engage constructively and directly with China while at the same time be there to challenge human rights and values that matter to Canadians.”

All of the leaders and dignitaries at the G20 Summit will arrive today in Bangkok ahead of tomorrow’s APEC Summit.