Canada summons Beijing ambassador over alleged police stations

Canada has summoned Beijing's ambassador after reports came of a network of illegal Chinese police stations in the country, after warnings from Ottawa that Ottawa is prepared to take more action if China refuses to cease and desist from its alleged activities.

Speaking to the Canada-China committee on Tuesday evening, Weldon Epp, director general of north Asia for Canada's foreign ministry, said he knew of several engagements by the federal government with China, including repeatedly summoning ambassador Cong Peiwu.

Epp, director general of north Asia for Canada's foreign ministry, told parliamentarians we had several engagements and we have conveyed our deep concern.

Epp was responding to a question from Raquel Dancho, the Conservative public safety shadow minister who raised the issue during the committee hearing after previous media reports.

In a report from October, the Madrid-based NGO Safeguard Defenders detailed 54 alleged Chinese police stations around the world, prompting authorities in a number of countries, including Germany, the Netherlands and Canada to launch police investigations.

Conservatives had previously called for the federal government to summon the Chinese ambassador for a d marche and to review the credentials of diplomats.

The Government of Canada has formally insisted that the Chinese government take into account any activities within Canada that fall outside the Vienna Conventions, said Epp, adding that there would be the possibility of more meetings depending on how the Chinese respond. Epp told Dancho he was unable to answer if Ottawa had expelled any diplomats.

The Chinese embassy in Canada acknowledged three addresses that have been flagged by Safeguard Defenders, but said they were merely service stations in Canada to help Chinese citizens process paperwork and obtain Chinese driver's licenses. The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations prohibits diplomats from interfering in the internal affairs of the host country, and the volunteers were not involved in any criminal investigation or relevant activity.

The head of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told parliament that they were investigating broader foreign actor interference activities but couldn't identify which country was involved.

Beijing is accused of attempting to interfere in Canada's 2019 federal election, partly funding the campaigns of 11 candidates.

In a letter to Parliament, Brenda Lucki said that the federal police were aware of foreign actor interference in relation to a broad range of activities, including interference in democratic processes, but declined to provide more detail. The RCMP said they were actively investigating reports of illegal Chinese police stations.