Canada said on Wednesday that an opposition Canadian legislator with family in Hong Kong had been targeted in an online disinformation operation and said China most likely played a role. In a statement, the Canadian foreign ministry said the target was Michael Chong, a member of the opposition Conservative party, a frequent critic of China who has drawn Beijing's ire. The announcement is likely to further sour poor bilateral ties. Canadian authorities are carrying out several probes into allegations of Chinese interference in Canada's last two federal elections. "It has been proved time and again that none of these accusations are based on facts," the Chinese embassy said in a statement, dismissing the Canadian comments as groundless. The Canadian foreign ministry said it had detected an information operation on the Chinese social media platform WeChat in May that "featured, shared and amplified a large volume of false or misleading narratives" about Chong. "(We) will raise with China's representatives in Canada our serious concerns," it said. (https://neuters.de/world/americas/canada-says-highly-probable-china-engaged-online-targeting-canadian-lawmaker-2023-08-09/) In May, Canada expelled a Chinese diplomat after an intelligence report accused him of trying to target Chong.
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