ǿմý

Skip to main content

Chinese President Xi confronts Trudeau over G20 talks being 'leaked' to the press

Share
BALI, Indonesia -

On the sidelines of a G20 meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his displeasure with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that details of the pair’s brief meeting Tuesday were "leaked" to the press.

The rarely-captured interaction happened during the closing session of the G20 in Bali, Indonesia. The video, recorded by a TV pool camera travelling as part of a media delegation following the prime minister, shows Xi telling Trudeau that it is not appropriate for details about Tuesday's talk to have been shared with the press.

"Everything we discuss has been leaked to the paper, that's not appropriate," Xi says to Trudeau.

"And that’s not the way the conversation was conducted," he added.

How China responded to Trudeau and what China talked about during Tuesday's meeting is unclear.

  • Watch:

Trudeau, who interrupts Xi, responds by highlighting the importance of "free and open" dialogue in Canada and the freedom of the press.

"In Canada, We believe in free and open and frank dialogue and that is what we will continue to have," Trudeau says. "We will continue to look to work constructively together but there will be things we will disagree on."

 

The tough talk comes one day after Trudeau pulled Xi aside at Tuesday’s opening session of the G20 for a roughly 10 minute talk. While specifics were not released, topics including climate change, North Korea’s missile launches, human rights, China’s interference in Canada and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine were brought up.

 

Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, who also spoke to her Chinese counterpart Tuesday, described the interactions as "respectful."

"It was a good conversation and it is important indeed to keep channels open," said Joly, "I said to my counterpart (that) it was on China's shoulders to show that it was respecting international norms."

Trudeau and Xi ended their conversation by shaking hands and leaving in opposite directions.

Asked about the exchange by reporters afterwards, and whether he had offered Xi any assurances that the content of their conversation wouldn't be shared, the prime minister spoke about the importance of keeping Canadians "apprised of what it is we're doing and the conversations we're having here."

"Not every conversation is always going to be easy, but it’s extremely important that we continue to stand up for the things that are important for Canadians," Trudeau said. 

"Canada trusts its citizens with information about the conversations that we have in their name, as a government. I think it's important that Canadians in a democracy, that citizens in a democracy, be apprised of the work that leaders are doing on their behalf. And I won't shy away from being open with Canadians, even as we discuss important and sometimes delicate subjects."

CTVNews.ca ǿմý

The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

The Montreal couple from Mexico and their three children facing deportation have received a temporary residence permit.

Local Spotlight

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.