China ad shows Beijing's doubt over own claims: Taiwan envoy to Canada

Toronto, July 29 (CNA) Taiwan's top representative in Canada, Harry Tseng (曾厚仁), on Sunday dismissed Chinese ads placed in a Canadian newspaper, calling them a sign of "doubt" in their own claims.

In an interview with the Toronto Sun, Tseng addressed a paid op-ed by China's ambassador to Canada, published in the Hill Times on July 2, titled "The One-China Principle is indisputable, and the victory of WWII must not be tampered with."

The ad, written by Chinese Ambassador Wang Di (王鏑), drew "a bold, red line under China's position on Taiwan, continuing China's tendency towards hard-handed 'wolf-warrior' diplomacy," the Toronto Sun reported.

The Sun added that "a second ad, published on July 16, reads more like the usual public relations one would expect from a foreign embassy - with Wang celebrating a recent open house and last month's Ottawa dragon boat festival."

In response to the ads, Tseng said, "If they consider the 'One China Principle' as universal and accepted by most countries, why on Earth do they need to use this [the first ad] to promulgate it?"

"Obviously, they are perhaps doubtful of what they claim," Tseng was quoted as saying.

Alan Kessel, a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and a former Canadian diplomat, told the Toronto Sun that the ads were an attempt by Beijing to control the narrative.

"One message implies closer ties, while the other draws a red line around Taiwan, signaling the price of engagement," he was quoted as saying.

Kessel said that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney should pursue a China policy grounded in "Canadian values" instead of being dictated by "foreign authoritarian sensitivities."

"That means rejecting coercion, resisting influence operations and affirming that our decisions on Taiwan are not shaped in Beijing, but in Ottawa," the Toronto Sun quoted him as saying.