Rio de Janeiro, March 29: Li Yang, the Chinese Consul General in Rio de Janeiro, has slammed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau allegedly for ruining the friendly ties between the two countries. He alleged that Trudeau has turned Canada into a "running dog of the United States".

"Boy, your greatest achievement is to have ruined the friendly relations between China and Canada, and have turned Canada into a running dog of the US. Spendthrift!!!" Li Yang tweeted on Sunday.

This comes a day after China had announced sanctions against two American religious-rights officials and a Canadian MP in response to western countries' sanctions on Beijing over the issue of human rights abuses in Xinjiang province. Coronavirus Origin: WHO-China Study Says Animals Likely Source of COVID-19, Lab Leak 'Extremely Unlikely'.

Those targeted by the new sanctions by China include Gayle Manchin, chairwoman of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, and its vice-chairman Tony Perkins; Canadian MP Michael Chong and members of the Canadian Commons subcommittee on international human rights, South China Morning Post reported.

However, the United States condemned China's sanctions and said that Beijing's attempt to silence criticism of human rights abuse in Xinjiang invites international scrutiny.

Taking to Twitter, US Secretary Antony Blinken said, "We condemn the People's Republic of China's sanctions on two members of the independent and bipartisan @USCIRF (US Commission on International Religious Freedom). Beijing's attempt to silence criticism of serious human rights abuse in Xinjiang only contributes to growing international scrutiny."

Recently in a press briefing, Trudeau slammed China's treatment of two of its nationals there, saying it threatens both 'respect for the rule of law' and Beijing's relationships with Western nations.

"China needs to understand that it is not just about two Canadians. It is about the respect for the rule of law and relationships with a broad range of Western countries that is at play with the arbitrary detention and the coercive diplomacy they have engaged in," said Trudeau.

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