The accusations came as the pair crossed paths in public in Bali, Indonesia, where both leaders are attending the G20 summit. “Everything we’re talking about has been leaked to the newspaper; that’s not appropriate,” Xi told Trudeau through an interpreter. “It’s not… the way the conversation was conducted. If there’s honesty on your part—” Xi said. Trudeau interrupted the Chinese leader, telling him that while they have differences, they should work together. “We believe in free, open and honest dialogue and that’s what we’re going to continue to have. We’re going to continue to try to work constructively together, but there’s going to be things that we’re going to disagree on and we’re going to have to…” Trudeau said before Xi interrupted. “Let’s create the conditions first,” Xi said, extending his hand to Trudeau, before the pair shook hands and parted ways. Trudeau and Xi spoke face-to-face briefly on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali on Tuesday. After the informal meeting, the Prime Minister’s Office issued a readout of the conversation noting the issues discussed and who raised them. According to the readout, during the brief conversation between the two leaders — who have been at odds over trade and the arrest and detention of two Canadians — Trudeau raised concerns about media reports that China secretly funded 11 candidates in the 2019 federal election. The pair were pictured talking informally to a packed room in a photo released by the prime minister’s office to mark the meeting. The Office of the Prime Minister released this photo of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Chinese President Xi Jinping talking face-to-face on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, on Nov. 15. The day after the conversation, Xi accused Trudeau of improperly leaking details of their conversation to the media. (PMO)
“I will not hesitate to be open with Canadians:” Trudeau
Trudeau’s conversation with Xi was not a formal bilateral meeting like Xi has had with other leaders, including US President Joe Biden, Argentine President Alberto Angel Fernandez and French President Emmanuel Macron. The PMO said the two leaders also discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, North Korea’s continued aggression against South Korea and the upcoming COP15 summit in Montreal. The readout does not say how Xi reacted to any of these issues, only that the two leaders “discussed the importance of continuous dialogue.” In his final press conference, Trudeau responded to the incident, saying his government trusts its citizens want to know about the work it does on their behalf. Watch: ‘I won’t hesitate to be open with Canadians:’ Trudeau tells Xi:
“I will not hesitate to be open with Canadians:” Trudeau tells Xi
After meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Indonesia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canadians deserve to know the nature of the talks “we’re having in their name as a government.” “I will not hesitate to be open with Canadians, even when we are discussing important and sometimes sensitive issues,” Trudeau said. “The right balance between being open about disagreements and issues that we’ve raised, while at the same time being able to work constructively, is something that people need to understand is what Canadians will always do,” he added. Trudeau also used his final press conference to announce that the mission to train Ukrainian soldiers in Great Britain as part of the so-called Operation Unifier, which has been underway since 2015, will be extended until the end of 2023. The announcement comes days after Canada pledged another $500 million to support Ukraine’s military.
