China’s Ambassador to Canada Cong Peiwu has concluded his tenure, the department of foreign affairs has confirmed.
“Former Ambassador Cong concluded his posting to Canada (duration 2019-2024),” Global Affairs Canada (GAC) stated in an email on April 19. Yong Zhao has been appointed as chargé d’affaires ad interim.
Mr. Cong’s tenure coincided with the arrest of Huawei senior executive Meng Wanzhou and Beijing’s retaliatory detention of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. These incidents strained the relationship between Ottawa and Beijing, despite earlier efforts by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to seek closer ties with China.
The GAC did not specify the reasons for Mr. Cong’s departure but noted that it was informed in advance, adhering to standard diplomatic protocols. It added that the typical tenure for a diplomatic posting to Canada ranges from four to five years.
‘Threats’
Throughout his tenure as China’s ambassador to Canada, Mr. Cong drew the ire of opposition MPs and human rights activists for comments that were at times seen as threats.
In the following year, Mr. Cong warned Canada against granting asylum to Hong Kong residents fleeing the city after Beijing introduced its draconian national security law. He claimed that granting asylum to Hong Kong residents would amount to “interference in China’s domestic affairs and certainly it will embolden those violent criminals.”
“So if the Canadian side really cares about the stability and the prosperity in Hong Kong, and really cares about the good health and safety of those 300,000 Canadian passport holders in Hong Kong, and the large number of Canadian companies operating in Hong Kong SAR, you should support those efforts to fight violent crimes,” he said in a video press conference.
“Last week, the Chinese ambassador threatened 300,000 Canadians currently living in Hong Kong. He has offered no public apology and this government hasn’t demanded one,” Mr. O’Toole said in the House of Commons on Oct. 19, 2020.
