Chinese ambassador says cooperation with COVID-19 is not enough to settle relations with Canada

OTTAWA –
The Chinese ambassador to Canada says that even if Canada-China cooperation on the coronavirus has been "good", the overall relationship between the two countries remains strained for other reasons.

Journalists pressed Cong Peiwu on the state of the relationship at the CDA Institute's security and defense conference in Ottawa on Wednesday, asking if tensions had melted following the Intensified communications between the two countries amid the epidemic.

Cong seemed to take down the suggestion.

"You are aware of the pending problem for bilateral relations," Cong told reporters, although he added that cooperation in the fight against COVID-19 has been "appreciated" and "good".

"The public health sector is still an important part of our relationship," he said.

Tensions between Canada and China plunged into a deep freeze after Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou was arrested in December 2018. Canadian authorities arrested Meng in Vancouver after the United States asked for his extradition.

Canada's arrest of the executive in Vancouver enraged China, which later arrested Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig in what the Canadian government called retaliation, although China insists otherwise. China has also briefly banned the import of Canadian beef and pork, counting it as a banned animal feed additive which they claim was found in a shipment of pork Canadian.

It seems that tensions started to melt when communication intensified between the two countries in the aftermath of the coronavirus epidemic. Last month, Foreign Minister François-Philippe Champagne told CTV's question period that China had responded to the talks on the epidemic.

However, the Chinese ambassador told reporters on Wednesday that the health talks are separate from what he called "pending problems for bilateral relations".

"But at the same time, we believe in this type of exchange and also in cooperation in terms of fighting the disease, of course, it's good," said Cong.

Dismiss Uighur concentration camps

The ambassador also continued to deny the existence of Uighur concentration camps in the Xinjiang region.

"There is nothing like concentration camps in China, or in particular in the autonomous region of Xinjiang," said Cong in response to the question from the moderator on whether these camps are harmful to China's ability to use low-powered responses to international tensions.

Former detainees and their relatives told the Associated Press that what the Chinese government calls vocational training centers are in fact a kind of prison, where they force detainees to accept the ruling Communist Party and make them renounce Islam. Detainees also alleged that they were subjected to indoctrination and torture.

In addition, an international consortium of journalists has released leaked confidential documents that reveal a deliberate strategy to foreclose ethnic minorities, whether or not a crime has been committed.

Speech with Marissa Ramnanan of CTV News Montreal in December, The Uyghurs-Montrealers said they still feel in danger.

Yet Cong claimed that the Chinese government had ended what it called "vocational training centers" in response to a wave of what it called "violent terrorist incidents" in the region from Xinjiang.

"The goal is to make sure that those students out there they first get a chance to learn the laws and regulations, and then they can master some basic skills so that 39; they may have a chance to find a job, "he said.

When the moderator pointed out that several credible publications such as the Washington Post and The New York Times reported on the concentration camps, Cong said there was "a lot of fake news".

"Some western media can be misleading, you know, so be careful," he said.

No arbitrary detention of detained Canadians

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Cong also lobbied over the two detained Canadians, Spavor and Kovrig.

He insisted that their detentions were legitimate, but did not specify when China would publicly present evidence to support the charges of espionage against the two Canadians.

"There is no arbitrary detention of the two gentlemen you mentioned," said Cong.

He said that the "competent authorities in China" are handling the case "strictly within the limits of the law" and called for respect for Chinese judicial sovereignty.

When a reporter asked when China would present the evidence to support these accusations, Cong would not provide any clear indication of the timetable.

"If you would like more detailed information, you can refer to the relevant authorities in China as we are following them according to our procedure," said Cong.

While the two Canadians are still detained, reports of violations of their rights are circulating. Lights in their cells were reported to be on while they were trying to sleep and Kovrig's reading glasses had been removed.

However, Cong insisted that "their legitimate rights are guaranteed".

With files from the Associated Press, Rachel Aiello from CTV News and Marissa Ramnanan from CTV News Montreal.