Canada says ‘highly probable’ China had role in targeting of lawmaker

The Canadian government has alleged it was “highly probable” that China played a role in an online campaign targeting one of the country’s opposition lawmakers, as tensions persist over questions of foreign political interference.

The Canadian government has alleged it was “highly probable” that China played a role in an online campaign targeting one of the country’s opposition lawmakers, as tensions persist over questions of foreign political interference.

In a statement on Wednesday, Global Affairs Canada, the country’s foreign affairs ministry, said its Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) had detected “an information operation” targeting Conservative Party legislator Michael Chong in May.

The operation was detected on WeChat, a messaging platform popular in China. But the ministry’s statement stopped short of accusing China outright.

“An analysis by the RRM to determine the possibility of state involvement revealed that, while China’s role in the information operation is highly probable, unequivocal proof that China ordered and directed the operation is not possible to determine due to the covert nature of how social media networks are leveraged in this type of information campaign,” the ministry said.

In early May, Canada expelled diplomat Zhao Wei after accusing him of being involved in a campaign to intimidate Chong, who has been an outspoken critic of Chinese government policies.