Chinese leaders rebuke Harper for taking too long to visit
Beijing — The Canadian Press
Published on Thursday, Dec. 03, 2009 5:47AM EST
Prime Minister Stephen Harper received a diplomatic rebuke from his Chinese counterpart Thursday for waiting too long to visit China.
At their first ever meeting, Premier Wen Jiabao reminded Mr. Harper that he had not visited the country before, adding that the last visit by a Canadian prime minister was five years ago and that was “too long.”
An hour earlier at a meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao in the Great Hall of the People, Mr. Jintao twice emphasized that this was Mr. Harper’s first visit.
However, the prime minister did not let the comments slip by without a response.
He pointed out that it had also been five years since the Chinese leadership had stepped foot in Canada.
The gentle prods seemed to confirm Chinese media reports in advance of the trip that the relationship had turned icy since Mr. Harper’s election in 2006.
