Beijing: China’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that Chinese President Xi Jinping did not criticize Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a day after Mr. Xi was seen confronting Trudeau at the G20 summit over alleged leaks from a meeting they had. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning told a regular media briefing that Beijing supports honest exchanges as long as they are on an equal footing, and said China hopes Canada will take action to improve bilateral ties. “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,” she said. Mr. Mao. In videos released by Canadian broadcasters on Wednesday, a translator for Mr. Jinping is heard on the video telling Trudeau that “what we discussed was leaked to the newspaper, that’s not appropriate.” Mr. Jinping goes on to say, in Mandarin, “if there is honesty, we can communicate well with mutual respect, otherwise the result will not be easy to tell.” Mr. Jinping’s displeasure was likely a reference to media reports that Trudeau expressed “serious concerns” about alleged spying and Chinese “interference” in Canadian elections during a meeting with Mr. Jinping on Tuesday, Mr. Jinping’s first conversation. Trudeau with the Chinese leader for more than three years. . “First, I want to emphasize that China never interferes in the affairs of other countries,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Ms. Mao said on Thursday. He did not say whether Trudeau’s reference to alleged Chinese interference on Tuesday was the reason behind the off-the-record exchange between the two leaders the next day. The video captured a rare candid moment for Xi, whose image is carefully curated by Chinese state media. Mrs Mao also said on Thursday that Xi’s telling Trudeau “otherwise the outcome will not be easy to say” was not a threat, as both leaders were engaging in a “normal” exchange and were merely “expressing their respective positions”. (Other than the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published by a syndicated feed.)

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