Overview
- Conservative MP Michael Chong arrived in Taipei to meet President Lai Ching-te after saying the self-funded trip would assert Canadian sovereignty.
- China’s embassy in Ottawa condemned the visit as a grave breach of Canada’s one-China commitment and said it sends the wrong signal about Taiwan independence.
- In an April interview, Ambassador Wang Di warned a new Canada–China partnership could suffer if Ottawa allows more MP trips to Taiwan or sends more warships through the Taiwan Strait.
- Canada has no formal ties with Taiwan but keeps de facto offices and ongoing parliamentary exchanges that have run for decades.
- Ottawa has not outlined future naval transits through the Taiwan Strait, and the defence minister declined to say while noting the waterway is international.