Chinese consul turns ballistic on Twitter, calls Trudeau 'boy,' trades insults with netizens
China’s consul general in Brazil has been on the warpath the past few hours on Twitter, insulting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and even trading blows with other netizens.
“Boy, your greatest achievement is to have ruined the friendly relations between China and Canada, and have turned Canada into a running dog of the US. Spendthrift!!!” Li Yang, China’s consul general in Rio de Janeiro, said in a tweet.
Boy, your greatest achievement is to have ruined the friendly relations between China and Canada, and have turned Canada into a running dog of the US. Spendthrift!!! pic.twitter.com/qWCfJH4bYb
— Li Yang (@CGChinaLiYang) March 28, 2021
The tweet comes on the heels of sanctions imposed by Canada and other US allies such as the European Union, and Britain on China over human rights issues in China’s Xinjiang province.
The move in turned sparked retaliation, with China imposing its round of sanctions in turn against the said countries.
Trudeau also called out China in a previous tweet.
“China’s sanctions are an attack on transparency and freedom of expression - values at the heart of our democracy. We stand with Parliamentarians against these unacceptable actions, and we will continue to defend human rights around the world with our international partners,” said Trudeau.
China’s sanctions are an attack on transparency and freedom of expression - values at the heart of our democracy. We stand with Parliamentarians against these unacceptable actions, and we will continue to defend human rights around the world with our international partners. https://t.co/gtMleSAaEd
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) March 27, 2021
Trudeau also slammed China’s treatment of its nationals in a recent press conference, saying it threatens both ’respect for the rule of law’ and Beijing’s relationships with Western nations.
Meanwhile, Li Yang has also engaged with netizens commenting on his Trudeau post.
One Twitter user asked him if he gets paid “to write this badly or is it more of a hobby.” To which he replied, “I just tell you the truth!”
Another one said, “your credibility is on pretty shaky ground.” Li Yang then said, “which is better than yours!”
A number of Twitter accounts associated with the Chinese government, such as embassies and officials, have been active the past few weeks on Twitter charging against allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang and bringing attention to America’s longstanding problem with racism.
A number of brands have also been caught up in the issue, with H&M, Nike, and Adidas among others facing boycotts and consumer backlash after being caught in the crossfire.