By Rhoda Kwan
https://hongkongfp.com/author/rhodakwan/
The Chinese ambassador to Ottawa has warned the Canadian government against accepting future refugees from Hong Kong, calling those from the city seeking asylum abroad “violent criminals.”
The ambassador also suggested that the granting of further asylum to fugitives could endanger the “good health and safety” of Canadian passport holders and Canadian businesses currently in Hong Kong.
The statements were made during a video press conference on Thursday commemorating the 50th anniversary of Ottawa-Beijing relations.
“We strongly urge the Canadian side not to grant so-called political asylum to those violent criminals in Hong Kong, because it is interference in China’s domestic affairs, and certainly it will embolden those violent criminals,” Cong Peiwu said.
The envoy also refuted President Justin Trudeau’s comments earlier this week after he said Beijing was attempting to strong-arm other countries: “There is no coercive diplomacy on the Chinese side,” Cong said, adding that the Hong Kong and Xinjiang “issues” were ones of China’s “internal affairs,” not human rights.
https://hongkongfp.com/2020/10/16/health-and-safety-of-canadians-in-hong-kong-jeopardised-by-ottawas-acceptance-of-hong-kong-refugees-says-chinese-envoy/