A scene from the head of ChinaXi Jinping, complaining about the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, at the G20 summit in Indonesia caught the eye on Wednesday (16). The Chinese was irritated because, according to him, the Canadian government had leaked information to the press about the content of the conversation between the two the day before.

“Everything we discussed was leaked in the newspapers. It’s not appropriate, we don’t do it this way,” Xi said in Mandarin, with a forced smile. “If there is sincerity, we can communicate well in mutual respect, otherwise the result will not be easy to say.” The kind of reprimand was recorded by the Canadian media and, in a way, contrasts with the more discreet profile of the Chinese leader.

Xi’s displeasure is likely tied to news reports that the Canadian discussed with the Chinese alleged episodes of espionage in the Asian country and the dictatorship’s interference in the canadian elections.

Officially, the North American country has not released any documents about the meeting. After Tuesday’s meeting, Trudeau said in an interview that his government needed to work with the Asian giant because “China is a major global player in the economy and has a very big impact on events around the world.”

The Prime Minister also stressed that he will not fail to defend Canadian principles, such as the defense of human rights —the Chinese dictatorship is accused of persecuting the Muslim minority uyghur in the Xinjiang region. “People know that not every conversation will be easy with other leaders, especially when it comes to issues of disagreement,” he added.

On Wednesday, upon hearing Xi’s complaint, the prime minister replied, “In Canada, we believe in free, open and frank dialogue. We will continue to seek to work together constructively, but there will be things we disagree on.

The speech did not mention the leaks and was cut off by the Chinese leader, who hastily said the Canadian should “create the conditions” for this partnership. The climate ended with a smile on one side and a handshake in between.

The short dialogue exposes the tensions between the countries for a An executive of the Chinese company Huawei arrested in Canada, in 2018, on charges of bank fraud. In response, Beijing ordered the arrest of two Canadians who were in the Asian country. All three were later released.

Additionally, Canadian police announced on Monday (14) the arrest of an employee of Canada’s largest electricity producer accused of attempting to steal the company’s trade secrets for the benefit of China. The detention was announced as Trudeau and Xi were already attending the G20 summit in Bali.

Meanwhile, earlier this month, Canada ordered three Chinese companies to refrain from investing in Canadian minerals, citing national security concerns.