Another scandal between Canada and China
Canada says there is a disinformation campaign on China's WeChat targeting a member of the Canadian Parliament.
It is alleged that Michael Chong was the subject of posts containing "misleading narratives" about his background, his family's heritage, and political views on the WeChat app. Michael Chong is a Conservative Party member and politician who held ministerial positions in Stephen Harper's government.
Global Affairs Canada (GAC) said China is "highly probably" behind the campaign against Chong. This comes amid a scandal that is still fresh in the memory, involving accusations of China's interference in Canadian politics. The GAC said, however, that because of the nature of the campaign against the politician, it is difficult to unequivocally attribute the "attacks" to China.
"Unequivocal proof that China ordered and directed the operation is not possible to determine due to the covert nature of how social media networks are leveraged in this type of information campaign," Global Affairs Canada said.
China expectedly rejected accusations of spreading "misleading information" about Michael Chong.
The GAC said it discovered false information about Chong when it monitored social media and other online resources for foreign interference. They were spread by news accounts on WeChat. Global Affairs Canada concluded that the attacks were coordinated and the volume of attacks was abnormal.
According to the GAC, one-third of the accounts that amplified attacks on Michael Chong were accounts from prominent state media outlets or accounts possibly linked to the Chinese state. The rest were anonymous and had not previously made any posts about Canadian politics.
Speaking to the BBC, representatives from the Chinese embassy in Canada called all the allegations "purely groundless."
"We never interfere in Canada's internal affairs, and have no interests whatsoever in doing so," the Chinese embassy representatives said.
The GAC promised it would hold discussions with Chinese representatives in Canada about the situation, adding that "Canada will never accept any form of interference in our democracy or internal affairs." In the past, Canada has accused China of persecuting Michael Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong after he raised concerns about human rights abuses in China.
As a result, diplomat Zhao Wei was expelled from Canada in May of this year. In response, China ordered the expulsion of a Canadian diplomat from the Shanghai Consulate, Jennifer Lynn Lalonde.
Michael Chong didn't leave the situation without comment either. In a media statement Wednesday, he called the campaign against himself "another serious example of the communist government in Beijing attempting to interfere in our democracy by targeting elected officials." He also once again called for a public inquiry into allegations of Chinese interference in Canada's elections and internal affairs.
Recall that on the outcome of the investigation into possible Chinese interference in Canadian politics, the Trudeau government's opposition demanded another investigation, but it is not yet clear whether it will take place.
