Canada minister calls on China to deescalate tensions after Pelosi’s Taiwan visit

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly arrives for a two day NATO foreign ministers meeting in Berlin, Germany May 14, 2022. REUTERS/Michele Tantussi

MONTREAL — Canada is extremely concerned with heightened tensions after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan visit this week, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on Wednesday, calling on China to deescalate the situation.

“We think that legislators do visits around the world and clearly the visit cannot be used as a justification for heightened tensions or a pretext,” Joly, speaking alongside her German counterpart Annalena Baerbock, told reporters in Montreal.

“So, in that sense we call on China to deescalate because we think that there may be risks of not only heightened tensions, but also destabilizing the region,” Joly said.

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