The exchange came at the end of a summit where Mr. Xi has sought to steady China’s relations with the United States, Australia and other Western countries. Canada had not been included in Mr. Xi’s roster of formal meetings, possibly reflecting unhappiness with recent comments by Mr. Trudeau and the Canadian foreign minister, Mélanie Joly.
“Unfortunately we’re seeing that countries, state actors from around the world, whether it’s China or others, are continuing to play aggressive games with our institutions, with our democracies,” Mr. Trudeau said, after news reports that Chinese authorities had meddled in Canadian elections by secretly funding 11 candidates in the 2019 federal election.
In the absence of a formal meeting with Mr. Xi, Mr. Trudeau grabbed a brief, unscheduled conversation with him at a reception on Tuesday. Canadian media later reported, citing the Canadian prime minister’s office, that Mr. Trudeau had discussed the war in Ukraine and other international issues, and also raised the reports about election interference
Mr. Xi’s accusation of a leak seemed to be about Canada disclosing details of that unplanned meeting, given that the Chinese government apparently had not prepared its own account.
At a news conference in Bali after the video began to circulate, Mr. Trudeau defended his approach to China.
“Canada needs to be able to engage constructively and directly while at the same time be there to challenge on human rights and values that matter to Canadians,” he said, according to The Globe and Mail.
The video of Mr. Xi’s encounter with Mr. Trudeau joins a short list of recordings that show the Chinese leader acting off-the-cuff. Another well-known video from 2009, when Mr. Xi was the vice president, showed him on a visit to Mexico, mocking foreign critics of China.
“Some foreigners with full bellies and nothing better to do engage in finger-pointing at us,” he said at a reception.
