Trudeau refuses to call Xi a “dictator” but says China is not a democracy

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declined on Friday to describe Chinese President Xi Jinping as a “dictator,” as US President Joe Biden did on Wednesday, even as he added that China is not a democracy.

During a press conference on the final day of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) summit in San Francisco, Trudeau limited himself to emphasizing that “China is a one-party state. “I don’t think anyone would call it democracy.”

In response to criticism from the press for his resistance to describing Xi as a “dictator,” as Biden did, Trudeau responded that he did not want to get into the issue of “definitions” and that the fact is that the Chinese ruler ” gives no instructions’. are given”. “a democracy.”

“It is an authoritarian state,” Trudeau concluded.

Relations between Canada and China have been through a difficult period since Chinese authorities arrested two Canadian citizens in 2018 in retaliation for the 2018 detention of Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver, Canada.

Relations between the two countries became further complicated when Canadian intelligence services accused China last year of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 Canadian general elections.

The Canadian Prime Minister stressed that despite the difficulties, Ottawa will continue to seek opportunities for cooperation with China on common issues, such as the fight against climate change in China.

“We will work with China where we can and compete with China in other areas, such as trade, diversifying Asian economies or developing more robust supply chains for critical minerals,” he said.