Chinese foreign minister’s visit to Canada sparks human rights protests

Human rights advocates and members of the diaspora gathered on Parliament Hill for two days this week to protest Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Canada and to call for an end to China’s ongoing rights abuses.

Wang Yi arrived in Ottawa on May 28 and met with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand and Prime Minister Mark Carney on May 29.

Members of several persecuted groups in China – including Falun Gong practitioners, Uighurs, Tibetans and Hong Kongers – demonstrated in Ottawa against repression by the Chinese communist regime and its extensions in Canada, while Wang Yi met with Canadian officials. Members of the Canadian Committee of the Democracy Party in China also protested the visit.

Wang Yi met with Ms. Anand at Global Affairs Canada headquarters on the morning of May 29, while Falun Gong practitioners held banners across the street calling for an end to the persecution of their co-religionists in China. Protesters also occupied Parliament Hill from morning until late afternoon, carrying signs bearing the slogans: “Stop China Bullying in Canada,” “Stop Organ Harvesting in China,” and “Stop China.” the CCP’s transnational suppression of Falun Gong,” the latter message referring to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

After the meeting between Wang Yi and Mr. Carney, Falun Gong practitioners chanted “Stop the persecution of Falun Gong” as the official procession passed.

Falun Gong, also called Falun Dafa, is a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline combining meditative exercises and moral teachings based on the principles of truth, compassion and tolerance.

Beijing’s interference in Canadian affairs

Ruth Collins, a Falun Gong practitioner from Montreal, traveled to Ottawa to participate in the May 29 rally on Parliament Hill. She told NTD, media partner ofEpoch Timesthat the protest against Wang Yi’s visit was “very important,” particularly in light of recent CCP-attributed disruptions of the Shen Yun Performing Arts show in Toronto, as well as other attempts by Beijing to pressure Canadian theaters to prevent the holding. of the show.

Shen Yun is a New York-based Chinese classical dance and music company, founded in 2006 by leading Chinese artists, whose stated mission is to revive traditional Chinese culture, which the group believes has been almost entirely destroyed by decades of communist rule. The company performs around the world under the slogan “China Before Communism,” and many of its performers are Falun Gong practitioners.

Shen Yun’s producer, the Falun Dafa Association of Canada, says the show has faced an increased global campaign to prevent it in recent years, through diplomatic pressure, unfounded lawsuits and an estimated 150 false bomb threats around the world.

“It’s really important to be here. At least if Chinese officials can see the banners, maybe they will understand that we don’t want Chinese interference in Canada,” said Ms. Collins.

Ms. Collins explained that practicing Falun Gong has transformed the way she lives, speaks to others, and reacts on a daily basis. “Truth, compassion, tolerance constitute the central point of my life. This is what allows me to know if what I am doing is right or not. If it doesn’t match these principles, it means I have to improve, question myself and change,” she added.

Persecution of Uighurs in China

The organizations urged the federal government “to confront China’s continued human rights abuses and reject any diplomatic reset that ignores the question of accountability.”

“We cannot normalize relations with the Chinese government as long as Uighurs remain imprisoned, families are separated and survivors of repression continue to demand justice,†said Mr. Mehmet Tohti, executive director of URAP. “Economic cooperation must never be at the expense of human rights.”

The group urged Mr. Carney and Ms. Anand to publicly raise concerns with Wang Yi, including the mass detention and surveillance of Uighurs in China, the continued use of forced labor and abuses in supply chains, and transnational repression targeting Uighurs and human rights activists in Canada.

A coalition calls on Ottawa

“We call on you to ensure that the Government of Canada demands that China commit to ending all hostage diplomacy and extraterritorial intimidation, as well as lifting all punitive sanctions against Canadians, if a ‘strategic partnership’ between Canada and China is to move forward,” the coalition said.

The coalition also expressed concern over the memorandum of understanding between the RCMP and China’s Ministry of Public Security, calling for “full transparency and parliamentary review before any further cooperation.”

The coalition includes Canada-Hong Kong Link, the Canada Tibet Committee, the Falun Dafa Association of Canada, the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights, the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project and the Toronto Association for Democracy in China.

Wang Yi meets Anita Anand and Mark Carney

Ms. Anand also indicated that Canada aims to increase its exports to China by 50% by 2030, while “protecting Canada’s economic and national security interests and values.”

Wang Yi said in his opening remarks that exchanges between Ottawa and Beijing have intensified significantly in recent months, which he believes demonstrates the desire of both parties to improve their relations. He also spoke of “ups and downs” in bilateral relations, which provided “many important lessons.”

He also indicated that Mr. Carney had been invited to participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, scheduled for China in November.

Neither Mr. Carney nor Wang Yi made a statement to reporters, and no press conferences were scheduled that day.

During his previous visit to Canada in 2016, Wang Yi strongly criticized a Canadian journalist who questioned him about human rights in China, during a press conference with the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the time, Stéphane Dion.

Wang Yi’s visit comes after Carney’s visit to China in January, as his government seeks to strengthen ties with Beijing. During the 2025 election campaign, Mr. Carney called China the main threat to Canada’s security, but during his trip this year, he said that relations between Ottawa and Beijing had entered “a new era” and that the two countries were part of a “strategic partnership”.

Noé Chartier a contribué à cet article.