During this week in Singapore, the Canadian and Chinese defence ministers had a face-to-face meeting, which was the first in-person meeting between the officials in years.
While attending the Shangri-La Dialogue, an international security conference, Bill Blair met with Admiral Dong Jun on May 31.
In a statement released after their meeting, Mr. Blair expressed his concerns about Beijing’s foreign interference in Canada and the recent military exercises in Taiwan.
Following the election of a new government in Taiwan that does not align with Beijing’s stance that Taiwan is a part of China, China conducted a simulated blockade of the island.
Mr. Blair’s meeting with his Chinese counterpart comes after Canadian military officials mentioned to members of Parliament that they were working on establishing new lines of communication.
Diplomatic relations between Canada and China have been tense since 2018, when Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada, and China responded by detaining Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.
Related Stories
