Canada should replace its wrong perception of China with an objective and rational view, and work with China to bring bilateral relations back onto the right track of development, the Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Monday.
Zhao made the remarks when asked to comment on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's claim that like-minded nations must show a united front against China's "coercive diplomacy" and moves to play democratic countries off one another.
The remarks made by the Canadian leader are inconsistent with facts and full of misunderstanding and misjudgment about China, Zhao said.
China is committed to the path of peaceful development and seeks peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation with all countries. China's diplomacy is aboveboard without any involvement of coercion or acts of sowing discord, Zhao said.
"In fact, China is a victim of 'coercive diplomacy' carried out by the U.S. and other Western countries," he said, citing examples that the U.S. government plotted the Meng Wanzhou incident in an attempt to contain and suppress China's high-tech industry.
He also said a handful of countries led by the United States wantonly interfered in China's internal affairs on issues related to Hong Kong and Xinjiang in the name of human rights and democracy, trying to impose their "rules" on China.
"This is flat-out coercive diplomacy," Zhao said.
Noting that the China-Canada relations are at a crossroads, Zhao said Canada must think clearly "whether it regards China as a partner or a rival."
He said that China attaches importance to developing ties with Canada and stands ready to develop bilateral ties on the basis of mutual respect, equality, and mutual benefit.
"Canada should abandon its wrong perception of China, adopt an objective and rational view of China, pursue a positive and pragmatic China policy, and work with China to bring bilateral relations back onto the right track of development," Zhao said.
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