China said on Monday it reserved the right to take more action after Canada suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong and said efforts to pressure Beijing were “doomed to fail like kicking against the pricks”.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian made the remarks about the potential for more action during a daily briefing. China, locked in a dispute with Canada, has charged two Canadians with espionage and blocked canola imports.
The Chinese embassy in Canada issued a statement on Monday urging Ottawa “to correct its mistakes” and stop meddling in China’s internal affairs. It said “erroneous measures introduced by a handful of western countries” would have no impact on the security legislation.
“Their attempt to exert pressure on China under the pretext of Hong Kong-related issues is completely against the trend of time, and doomed to fail like kicking against the pricks,” it said.
“Kicking against the pricks” is an English expression meaning “to hurt oneself by struggling against something in vain,” according to the Collins dictionary.
Canada acted on Friday in response to new national security legislation for Hong Kong, which China condemned as interference in its internal affairs.
Separately, China warned its citizens on Monday to exercise caution in traveling to Canada, citing “frequent violent actions” by law enforcement.
The dispute erupted in late 2018 after Canadian police detained Huawei Technologies Co’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, on a U.S. arrest warrant. She is still being held pending possible extradition to the United States.
Last week Canada advised its citizens they could face an increased risk of arbitrary detention in Hong Kong and possible extradition to mainland China.
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