Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, in an interview with Reuters on Sunday, said China should "help exert its influence on Yemen's Houthis to keep the Red Sea open," adding that the move will also "benefits Beijing as an exporter."
Joly said she discussed the issue in a meeting with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
This is while, the Yemeni army and the government have, time and again, said that the Red Sea is open and safe for all ships except those owned by Israel or heading to ports in the occupied Palestinian territories.
During the meeting she also raised Russia sanctions despite knowing the strong bilateral ties between Beijing and Moscow. "We must put maximum pressure on Russia," Joly said, adding that China should not become a loophole in our sanctions system.
Wang, for his part, reportedly asked Ottawa to change its stance on Beijing and stop promoting the "China threat theory".
Beijing- Ottawa Relations have been tense in recent years, after the arrest of a senior Chinese telecom executive on a US warrant in Vancouver in 2018 and Beijing’s retaliatory detention of two Canadians on espionage charges. Tensions grew further after Canada accused China of seeking to interfere in 2019 and 2021 elections, with Ottawa expelling a Chinese diplomat last year over allegations of intimidation.
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