China warned its nationals on Monday against the "frequent violent incidents" in Canada and called "for caution", in a context of strong tensions between the two countries.
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated sharply since the arrest in late 2018 in Vancouver of a senior leader of the Chinese telecom giant Huawei, followed by the arrest in China of two Canadian nationals.
"Chinese citizens must be very careful with their safety"
"Recently, Canada has experienced frequent violent incidents involving law enforcement, which led to a number of protests," said the Chinese foreign ministry in a brief statement.
"Chinese citizens must be very attentive to their safety" and "exercise caution," he wrote. The press release does not specify what these "violent incidents" are.
Hong Kong as a backdrop
Already on Monday, China issued a warning to Canada against further deterioration in bilateral relations, following the sanctions announced by Ottawa following the new national security law imposed on Hong Kong. Canada announced Friday that it would suspend its extradition treaty with the former British colony as well as its exports of "sensitive" military equipment.
"China strongly condemns (the Canadian sanctions) and reserves the right to take additional measures," Chinese diplomacy spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters in the press. "Canada will have to bear all the consequences," he said.
"A serious violation of international law", for Beijing
For Zhao Lijian, these decisions constitute "a serious violation of international law" as well as "interference" in Chinese affairs.
"China calls on Canada to immediately rectify its mistakes (...) to avoid further deterioration in relations" between the two countries, he warned.
Several countries have called on China to reconsider its national security law in Hong Kong, which fears local democratic opposition that the freedoms in force in the Special Administrative Region reverted to China in 1997 would be seriously affected.
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