Canadian Prime Minister says he will meet Xi Jinping and emphasize 'non-interference in Canada's internal affairs' (comprehensive)

APEC meeting held on the 18th and 19th amid controversy over China's election interference... “I have no interest in interfering in internal affairs.”

(New York, Beijing = Yonhap News) Correspondent Lim Soo-jeong and Jeong Seong-jo = Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping sometime this month to emphasize his position that China should not interfere in Canada's internal affairs.

According to foreign media outlets such as AFP on the 10th (local time), Prime Minister Carney met with reporters on this day and said that he plans to hold a meeting with President Xi on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Shenzhen, China on the 18th and 19th.

Prime Minister Carney said, "The advantage of a meeting like this is that we can raise issues directly and candidly, and we will emphasize how important it is that China and other countries do not interfere in our internal affairs."

He explained that he plans to discuss various pending issues with President Xi, including the expansion of trade between the two countries.

Prime Minister Carney identified China as Canada's biggest security threat ahead of the general election in April last year.

In Canada, allegations have been raised that China interfered in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

Canadian intelligence agencies have identified circumstances in which China attempted to support candidates friendly to the country, and cases of spreading false information targeting candidates critical of China were also confirmed.

Suspicions also arose that China was monitoring or threatening local Chinese residents through unofficial police bases in Canada.

The final report of the official investigation into allegations of foreign election interference in Canada, released last year, identified China as "the most active actor in foreign interference activities targeting Canada's democratic institutions."

The Chinese government has consistently denied such allegations of interference in its internal affairs.

When the investigation report was released last year, the Chinese Embassy in Canada objected, saying, "China has never interfered in Canada's internal affairs and has no intention of doing so," and said the report contained "groundless accusations and slander."

“China has consistently maintained the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries,” said Guo Jiaqun, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a regular briefing on the same day. “We have never been interested in interfering in Canada’s internal affairs.”