'Attempts at smearing Beijing': China rejects claims of meddling in Canadian elections

China has refuted claims that it meddled in Canada's federal elections, calling them "false" and "smearing". The Chinese Consulate General in Vancouver, located in western Canada, issued a statement on Friday afternoon accusing Canadian media of "smearing and discrediting China" and expressing its "strong dissatisfaction."

The declaration came in response to a report in The Globe and Mail newspaper that claimed Beijing had meddled in the federal elections of 2021 and cited confidential intelligence data. According to the newspaper, China's government deployed diplomats and proxies to spearhead disinformation campaigns to support certain Liberal party candidates against their Conservative competitors, the party is thought to be more favourable to Beijing.

Chinese authorities have "made it clear on many occasions that China has always adhered to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries and has never interfered in any Canadian election," according to the statement from the Chinese consulate. The accusations "would harm the friendship and interests of the peoples of both countries," according to the statement.

In order to foster better understanding, the statement added, "The relevant media to abide by professional ethics, immediately stop smearing and attacking China and the Consulate General, and do more good deeds." When asked about the situation on Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reaffirmed that his government's recent elections were legal.

Aware of China's attempts to meddle in elections for 'a long time', says Trudeau

The Canadian government has "total confidence" in the integrity of its elections, he continued, adding that he had known about the Chinese attempts to meddle for "a long time." A parliamentary committee in Ottawa is looking into claims that China meddled in the 2019 election campaign on behalf of 11 candidates, the majority of whom were Liberals.

Since Meng Wanzhou, a senior executive of Chinese multinational Huawei, was detained by Canada in 2018 at the request of the US, relations between China and Canada have been tight. In 2021, she was set free. Then, this month, four objects, including a sizable balloon that US officials claim was spying for China over North America, were shot down, further deteriorating relations.

On the fringes of the G20 summit in Bali, Trudeau claimed to have discussed the subject of Chinese meddling in Canadian affairs with President Xi Jinping in November of last year. Chinese officials have declined to confirm the conversation's specifics.