Minister Guilbeault to visit China as Ottawa negotiates foreign interference inquiry

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OTTAWA — Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault will travel to China on a diplomatic mission later this month, even as politicians in Ottawa continue to negotiate a public inquiry into alleged foreign interference.

Guilbeault will be in Beijing from Aug. 26 to 31 for the official visit.

A spokesperson for Guilbeault says the world is faced with the "triple crisis" of climate change, pollution and biodiversity, which can only be handled through urgent international co-operation.

His office said the minister will attend a meeting of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development while in Beijing.

Guilbeault's office noted that he and his Chinese counterpart, Huang Runqiu, strengthened their ties when their countries co-hosted the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal in December.

Despite that example of co-operation, relations between the two countries have been tense ever since the 2018 arrest of Chinese tech executive Meng Wanzhou, which led to a legal dispute with foreign-policy implications that still reverberate.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 16, 2023.