Diplomat expelled from Canada attended events with organizers of protest against foreign agent registry

Zhao Wei (赵巍) was seen at events with Chinese community associations. Some of the members helped organize a protest against a foreign agent registry.

A Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) document which was secretly leaked to the Globe and Mail detailed a series of threats leveled by Chinese diplomats against members of the Canadian Parliament which targeted not only them, but their families overseas living in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for potential sanctions. It is not unusual for the relatives of dissidents and lawmakers to become targets of detention and harassment in by the communist regime in China.

One parliamentarian mentioned by the anonymous national security source was identified as Conservative MP Michael Chong (庄文浩), a representative with a history of defending human rights who holds stern views on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The diplomat that reportedly targeted him and his family was later revealed to be Mr. Zhao Wei (赵巍). Wei was declared a “persona non-grata” by the Canadian government on May 8 and left the country soon thereafter, but little is known about the extent of his activities in Canada prior to his expulsion.

The disgraced diplomat oft accompanied Consul General Han Tao (韩涛) on outings, and frequented community celebrations with Liberal MPs. Tao was recently named in the Han Dong scandal after allegations that Dong had been in contact with and advising the high-ranking Toronto consulate official. Dong did not deny being in contact, claiming it was standard practice for any MP, and is now suing Global News and several reporters for defamation.

One such event which was attended by Wei and acknowledged by letter by both Han Tao and Justin Trudeau was a dinner held by the Hebei Association of Canada in 2019. The Hebei Association of Canada (HBAC) is described on its website as “a non-profit, non-religious, non-political organization.” The honourary chairman and former president of the association is Sun Zhidong (孙志东).

Zhao Wei was a guest of honour at the event, which was also attended by Liberal MPs Majid Jowhari and Geng Tan. “Geng Tan read a congratulatory letter from Justin Trudeau,” the article reads.

Honorary Chairman Sun Zhidong made a speech at the supper and reflected on the advancements made by HBAC over the years. He also was identified recently in WeChat posts when he was listed as an organizer of a protest against a foreign agent registry.

First found by the author of the Substack “Found in Translation”, the post details pickup locations and contact numbers for organizers of a June 24th event which was held in conjunction with a commemoration ceremony on Parliament Hill in remembrance of the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act.

The event was used as a front for a mass protest against a foreign agent registration act, or FARA, and was allegedly largely paid for by the community association accused of hosting “overseas Chinese police stations” in Canada. Calls for a FARA-type piece of legislation have been renewed as of late given widespread claims of foreign interference, and those calls have received considerable pushback from members of hometown associations, some of whom have met Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Well, here are the Toronto alleged UFWD pick up spots with other information and their posters via @BlueBellsForest / cc @csiscanada

https://t.co/Uu87l62cTK

— Laura Love (@Panopticonomy) June 21, 2023

HBAC also received several letters from various CCP departments congratulating them on the celebration, including one from the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese (中华全国归国华侨联合会)– an organization which is part of the regime’s United Front Work Department (UFWD) according to a study by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

The Government of Canada website acknowledges on it that the UFWD is a “primary foreign interference tool” of the CCP, although it has yet to legislate a registry that may compel members of associations affiliated with the UFWD to detail their relationship with the CCP.