Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has once again failed to take action on the ongoing Chinese takeover of Hong Kong.
When asked by journalists whether the Liberal government would retaliate against China for their aggressive crackdown on peaceful democratic protesters, Trudeau avoided answering directly.
“We have worked with some of our closest allies including the UK, Australia and others to condemn the actions taken by China in Hong Kong,” said Trudeau.
“We are extremely concerned with their stepping away from the one country, two systems agreement that was signed a few decades ago. We need to ensure that rights are defended around the world including in Hong Kong.”
Meanwhile, Canada’s international allies have taken concrete steps to condemn China’s behaviour.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the UK would provide refuge and citizenship for nearly three million Hong Kongers.
China snapped back at the UK and threatened to take retaliatory steps if the Johnson government were to follow through with its plans.
New Chinese legislation will outlaw a number of activities including subversion and secession in the region. Many Hong Kongers fear that the new laws would effectively strip the territory of any independence.
During his press conference, Trudeau was also asked when his government would make a final decision on Chinese telecom giant Huawei’s involvement in Canada’s 5G network.
“These are considerations that we have been looking very carefully at,” said Trudeau, without providing a timeline.
Recently, the US Department of State told the CBC that it would reassess its intelligence-sharing operations with Canada should it agree to partner with Huawei.
Security experts fear that Beijing could use the technology as a backdoor into Canada’s network, granting China the ability to spy on Canadian citizens and gain access to sensitive information.
