The Canadian and Chinese leaders, embattled in a diplomatic dispute, sat side by side on the first day of the G20 summit but appeared to pay each other no mind.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Chinese President Xi Jinping were seated together during the Leaders Working Lunch in Osaka, Japan, on Friday thanks to alphabetical seating.
The two did not shake hands or look at each other, according to Global News reporter Mercedes Stephenson, and did not engage throughout the meeting.
The Office of the Prime Minister later told Global News that Xi and Trudeau had “multiple” interactions throughout the day, just at different times. The government described those interactions as constructive but did not say what the discussions pertained to.
Trudeau reportedly did not speak with Xi during the luncheon because the Chinese leader did not have a translator with him at the time.
Tensions between Canada and China rose dramatically last year after the arrest of tech giant Huawei’s CFO, Meng Wanzhou. She remains on house arrest in Vancouver awaiting extradition to the United States for alleged violations of U.S. sanctions. China has pressed Canada to release her, but Canadian officials have not budged, saying they’re only following the rules.
The relationship unravelled further with the detainment of two Canadians in China on accusations of espionage. Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were detained mere days after Canada arrested Meng. They are accused of undermining China’s national security.
China took things up a notch on Tuesday, asking Canada to suspend all pork imports to the country.
The Chinese Embassy claims its customs found the residue of an illegal meat additive in Canadian pork, and that forged documents were used to get it over.
Canadian officials are investigating but expressed uncertainty about the meat’s origins. Previously, China blocked shipments of Canadian canola and other products.
Trudeau does not have a formal meeting set up with Xi during G20. However, U.S. President Donald Trump does.
The two leaders will meet face-to-face for the first time since Trump was readying more tariffs on Chinese imports into the United States.
Last week, Trump offered support for Trudeau’s dilemma, saying he was willing to raise the Canada-China situation with Xi in hopes of softening the political dispute.
“Anything I can do to help Canada, I will be doing,” he said, as the two met in the Oval Office.
Trudeau is expected to seek support from other countries like Japan and South Korea throughout the summit.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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