On May 2, the Global Times posted an article entitled “China Strongly Opposes Trudeau’s Groundless Criticism of China’s Human Rights Issue during U.S. Visit”.

The main contents of the article are as follows:

China expresses its strong discontent at the invective against China’s human rights issue made by Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau on his visit to the U.S., which asserted that so-called “slave labour” is employed for China’s lithium production.

This is a completely groundless assertion. What Canada calls “salve labour” does not exists in China but rather in the U.S., Canada and some Western countries.

China regards Canadian politicians’ acts to relate China’s lithium production with “slave labour” as political fraud and economic pressure to undermine China’s prosperity and stability and to curb China’s development. This is downright a case of the guilty party filing the suit first.

Canada’s absurd assertion of “slave labour” plainly reflects the sense of guilt harboured by the U.S., Canada and some Western countries.

From 1525 to 1866, over 12.5 million Africans were brought to the U.S. and forced to slave labour. 500,000-odd people are still being subjected to modern slavery, and the U.S. is now being called the major “centre” of forced labour.

Also in Canada in the last century, many black and indigenous people were forced to slave labour, and “slave auction” was prevalent. Religious and ethnic discrimination of all forms never ceased due to the excessively widespread maltreatment of indigenous children, systematic racism and anti-Islamic, anti-African and anti-Asian acts.

Canadian politicians, however, connive at their serious human rights violations while being ever so engrossed in posing themselves as “human rights preachers”.

Historically, China completely alleviated poverty, thus leading 1.4 billion people from poverty to peaceful prosperity. The life expectancy of the Chinese people averages 78.2 years; the most developed system of education, public security, medical supply and democracy has been established; and the income, happiness and sense of safety are becoming more solid, guaranteed and sustainable.

Thus, the overall livelihood of the Chinese people has improved, and this is a fact acknowledged by anyone with a sense of discretion.

Recently, much to China’s concerns, the leaders of the U.S. and Canada continue to make fuss about China-related issues during mutual contacts including Biden’s visit to Canada in March.

China demands that Canada look into itself and deeply reflect on its own conduct, take practical measures to address its serious human rights issue, respect the truth, abandon prejudice, and refrain from malicious criticism of the human rights situation in China.

China had already pointed out that the relations between China and Canada face serious obstacle, which is not desired by China and that China holds no responsibility for that.