The firing of Canada’s ambassador to China John McCallum over the weekend is a form of political interference and signals a weak rule of law in Canada, according several scathing editorials published by Chinese media outlets.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement that he’d “asked for and accepted” McCallum’s resignation on Saturday, the day after McCallum made comments for a second time, departing from the government’s stance on the extradition case of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou.
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Last week, McCallum told Chinese-language media in Markham, Ont., that Meng had “quite good arguments” to fight against extradition to the US, including political involvement from Donald Trump. Meng is accused of fraud in relation to violating US sanctions against Iran.
Amid backlash and calls for his resignation, McCallum apologized for his comments and said he “misspoke,” only to double down on his statements the next day in an interview with StarMetro Vancouver.
“From Canada’s point of view, if (the US) drops the extradition request, that would be great for Canada,” McCallum told the outlet on Friday. By Saturday, the veteran politician was out and Jim Nickel, deputy head of mission at the Embassy of Canada in Beijing, took over as charge d’affaires.
Some Chinese media are attributing his removal to “the political incorrectness of his words in the current Canada.”
“Ottawa is now as sensitive as a frightened bird. A few words by the ambassador should not have posed any impact on court decisions,” said an editorial in the state-run Global Times. “Nonetheless, judging from the reactions of many politicians and journalists in Canada, McCallum’s remarks are like a dreadful monster.”
“Meng’s case has revealed the weakness of the rule of law in Canada” the editorial continues. “Many commentators consider that this case has stuck Ottawa in the middle of Washington and Beijing. The truth is that they knew the geopolitics in the case from the very beginning, but were afraid to point them out.”
“As a Chinese folk saying goes, ‘You cannot live the life of a whore and expect a monument to your chastity.’ Canada is a country worthy of respect, but some Canadians must be reminded that they are now refusing to face up to the moral predicament. They are against moral righteousness while deceiving themselves to believe that they can be honored as moral models.”
On Sunday, another state-run outlet The China Daily also defended McCallum.
“McCallum was merely stating the truth when he observed that Meng has a strong case against extradition, which he rightly said was politically motivated,” said the editorial.
“Although what he said is 100 percent true, his words seem to have fallen on deaf ears at home. Those who had attacked McCallum should feel ashamed of themselves… the political mess that Ottawa is floundering in could get a lot worse if it chooses to accede to the US request for Meng’s extradition despite the problems with the case that McCallum, among others, has pointed out.”
The deadline for the US to file an extradition request is January 30.
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