China hyperventilates as Canadian staffer in its embassy orders 'Bat' t-shirt; wants probe

China on Tuesday said it has lodged a formal complaint with Canada over T-shirts ordered by one of the country's Beijing Embassy staff that allegedly mocked Beijing's response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters that China called on Canada to "thoroughly investigate the incident and give China a clear explanation."

'Give a clear explanation': China to Canada

According to the Associated Press, the incident arose after a T-shirt maker posted on the Chinese social media platform that a staff member from the Canadian Embassy had ordered T-shirts with a bat print. That appeared to reference allegations that the virus developed in China from bats and then spread to humans in the city of Wuhan where infections were first reported in late 2019.

Canadian media reports said the logo was a W in homage to the New York hip-hop group the Wu Tang clan and that Ottawa had apologized for any misunderstanding. The Communist Party government is extremely sensitive to accusations that it was the source of the pandemic and failed to respond quickly enough when cases were first reported in Wuhan. The T-shirts were reportedly ordered last summer and it wasn't clear if any were still in circulation.

"We have noted relevant reports. The novel Coronavirus is the common enemy of mankind. The WHO and the international community are clearly opposed to associating the virus with specific countries and regions, as well as to stigmatizing and pinning labels on them. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Health of Canada have made similar statements on many occasions," the Chinese Spokesperson said on Monday when asked to comment on the incident. 

"The diplomatic and consular staff of any country stationed abroad should strictly abide by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the laws and regulations of the host country. As diplomats of the Canadian Embassy in China, what they have done is not in line with their positions and runs counter to the consistent position of the high-level leadership at the Canadian government. The Chinese side is shocked by this and has lodged stern representations with the Canadian Embassy in China, demanding that the Canadian side immediately thoroughly investigate the incident and give China a clear explanation," he added.

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The controversy underscores the plunge in relations between the countries in the past two years over China's demand that Canada release a top executive of communications giant Huawei who is wanted on fraud charges in the United States.

Meng Wanzhou, who is also the daughter of the company's founder, denies the charges. China says her case is politically motivated as part of a US effort to stifle the nation's global economic expansion. Her lawyers argue she has been subjected to abuse of process and should be freed.

Canada arrested Meng at Vancouver's airport in late 2018. In apparent retaliation, China detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and Canadian entrepreneur Michael Spavor, placed restrictions on various Canadian exports to China, and sentenced a convicted Canadian drug smuggler to death in a sudden retrial.

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(With AP inputs)