HONG KONG — China sought to play down a diplomatic dispute with Canada on Thursday after footage emerged of President Xi Jinping rebuking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over alleged leaks, offering a candid insight into a tense interaction between world leaders.
The frosty exchange, in which Xi complained that details of an earlier conversation with Trudeau had been leaked, was shared widely on social media after being captured by the media pool on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit on the Indonesian island of Bali.
The video highlighted tense relations between the two countries and provided a rare glimpse into the personal style of Xi, whose image is carefully managed by Beijing.
It shows Xi rebuking Trudeau over alleged leaks from a 10-minute conversation the two leaders had on Tuesday, their first meeting in more than three years.
“Everything we discussed has been leaked to the paper; that’s not appropriate,” a smiling Xi told Trudeau through a translator. “And that’s not the way the conversation was conducted.
“If there is sincerity, we can communicate well with mutual respect,” he continued. “Otherwise the outcome will not be easy to tell.”
Trudeau responded: “In Canada, we believe in free and open and frank dialogue, and that is what we will continue to have. We will continue to look to work constructively together, but there will be things we will disagree on.”
“Let’s create the conditions first,” Xi replied, before shaking Trudeau’s hand and walking away.
Xi’s annoyance appeared to stem from news reports that Trudeau had raised “serious concerns” over suspected Chinese interference in Canadian affairs during their conversation on Tuesday. The reports were attributed to anonymous Canadian government sources and have not been verified by NBC News.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that the video showed a “normal” conversation between the two leaders.
“I don’t think it should be interpreted as President Xi criticizing anyone or accusing anyone,” she said at a regular news briefing Thursday.
Mao said that China never interferes in other countries’ internal affairs and that it was up to Canada to improve relations.
“Honest dialogue is not a problem for China, but we want that honest dialogue to be based on equality and mutual respect rather than condescending accusatory dialogue,” she said.
Asked about the video at a news conference in Bali on Wednesday, Trudeau confirmed that he had raised the question of foreign interference with Xi.
“Not every conversation is always going to be easy, but it’s extremely important that we continue to stand up for the things that are important for Canadians,” he said. “This is something we always do, and we will continue to.”
Trudeau sidestepped a question about whether the confrontation was a “power play” by Xi.
