Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne pledged his full support for the newly established Canada-China relations committee, Canada's top diplomat said in a letter to the members on Monday
TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st January, 2020) Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne pledged his full support for the newly established Canada-China relations committee, Canada's top diplomat said in a letter to the members on Monday.
"The committee can rely on my full support and collaboration," Champagne said, adding that he and other members of Canada's foreign service look forward to appearing before the committee when called upon.
The foreign minister reiterated Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's call for constructive and non-partisan dialogue, saying that the committee has an important mandate, charting the course for Canada-China relations at a time of great turbulence.
The committee was formed at the behest of Conservative parliamentarians, who seek to reexamine Sino-Canadian relations, arguing that Canadians have lost confidence in Trudeau's ability to adequately represent the country abroad pointing to a series of gaffes during international missions and the perceived promotion of his personal brand.
The Special Committee met for the first time on Monday ahead of the start of extradition hearings of Huawei's Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Meng Wanzhou to the United States.
The Huawei executive's arrest sparked a diplomatic row between China and Canada and was followed by the detention of two Canadian citizens by Beijing - former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor - in a move that was regarded by some as a retaliatory measure. Chinese authorities insisted that the two men posed a threat to national security. Beijing has also introduced several bans on Canadian meat products and vegetable oil exports, some of which were, however, lifted earlier, at the end of last year.
