Canada’s Defence Minister, Bill Blair, warned China against meddling in its elections during a rare meeting with Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun, Blair told Reuters on Saturday.
“I raised the concern of foreign interference in all its forms, including interference in our institutions and elections, as well as actions targeting the Chinese diaspora in Canada, our citizens,” Blair said, referring to his discussions with Dong Jun.
Canada’s domestic spy agency reported in April that China had interfered in the last two elections, as part of an official probe into election meddling. Beijing has denied these allegations.
Last year, Ottawa revealed that a Conservative legislator with family in Hong Kong had been targeted in an online disinformation campaign. In response, the Canadian government expelled a senior Chinese diplomat following an intelligence report implicating him in the operation.
Blair also expressed concerns about Chinese military activities around Taiwan since the island’s January presidential election during his meeting with Dong Jun, which took place on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue defence summit in Singapore.
The minister emphasized that Canada would bolster its presence in Asia.