Earlier in the day, Justin Trudeau, while marking the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing, noted that he had "real concern" about China's human rights record.
"We have real concerns about China's behavior in regards to human rights and will continue to… call for better respect of human rights on this anniversary and every day going forward," Trudeau said as cited by Reuters.
READ MORE: Trudeau Blasts China's ‘Aggression' as Canada Mulls Huawei CFO Extradition
Relations between the two countries worsened following the December arrest of Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huawei's founder, at the request of the United States for alleged failure to comply with US sanctions against Iran.
The arrest was decried by Beijing, which demanded that Canada immediately release the Chinese national. Huawei has insisted Meng has not broken the law.
The Chinese company was accused by the United States and a number of other countries, of stealing commercial information. The United States says it suspects Huawei of working for China, a US adversary and party to a major trade spat with Washington.
Huawei has dismissed claims about its cooperation with the Chinese authorities and pleaded not guilty to trade secret theft.
READ MORE: 'Prejudice, Arrogance': Beijing Slams Pompeo's Comments on Tiananmen Anniversary
On 4 June 1989, a student-led protest in Beijing's Tiananmen Square was dispersed by the army, leaving over 200 dead and 7,000 injured, according to official estimates. Human rights activists have claimed the death toll is in the thousands.
