China’s foreign ministry says Chinese President Xi Jinping has not criticized Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a day after Xi was seen confronting him over alleged leaks of an earlier meeting at the Group of 20 (G20) summit. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said on Thursday: “The video you mentioned was indeed a short conversation that both leaders had during the G20 summit. This is very normal. I don’t think it should be interpreted as President Xi criticizing or blaming anyone.” He added that Beijing supports honest exchanges as long as they are done on an equal basis, and said China hopes Canada will take action to improve bilateral ties. In videos released by Canadian broadcasters on Wednesday, Xi and Trudeau are seen standing close to each other and talking through a translator at the summit. “Everything we discussed has been leaked to the newspaper. this is not appropriate,” Xi told Trudeau through the interpreter. Xi goes on to say “if there is honesty, we can communicate well with mutual respect, otherwise the result will not be easy to tell.” Trudeau responded to the Chinese leader that Canada believes in “the free and open and honest dialogue” they will continue to have. The talks between the two leaders at the G20 summit were the first in more than three years. Media reports said Trudeau had raised “serious concerns” about alleged spying and Chinese “interference” in Canadian elections during the debate. Trudeau later said of the exchange with Xi that “not every conversation will always be easy, but it’s extremely important that we continue to stand up for the things that are important to Canadians.” The talks were kept informal, according to a Canadian government source, explaining why no official reading was released by either side. “First, I want to emphasize that China never interferes in the affairs of other countries,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao said Thursday. Mao did not clarify to reporters what Xi meant when he said “this is not appropriate” and whether the news that Trudeau referred to alleged Chinese interference on Tuesday was the reason behind the exchange. Mao also said that Xi saying, “Otherwise the outcome will not be easy to say,” to Trudeau was not a threat, as both leaders were engaging in a “normal” exchange and were merely “expressing their respective positions.”
