OTTAWA – Conservative MP Michael Chong says he spoke today with Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te about the need for Canadian parliamentarians to continue visiting Taiwan.
Chong was joined by two officials from Canada’s trade office in Taipei for the meeting.
The Tory MP says his trip is meant to assert Canadian sovereignty in the face of warnings from China’s ambassador in Ottawa.
Although Taiwan considers itself an independent nation, Canada’s official position under the long-standing One China Policy neither challenges nor endorses China’s claim to the island.
The Chinese embassy in Ottawa said Chong’s visit contravenes Canada’s one-China commitment and crosses a red line.
Chong says the Taiwanese officials he’s met with this week are reassured by his visit and the message it sends that Beijing cannot unilaterally move the goalposts on diplomacy.
