ntertainment","item":{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https://www.thestandard.com.hk/entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"World News","item":{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https://www.thestandard.com.hk/world-news"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"Comment","item":{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https://www.thestandard.com.hk/comment"}}]}]17:T63e,China - a major source of outbound tourists - has left Canada off a list of countries now approved for travel by tour groups, its embassy in Ottawa said, due to anti-Beijing rattling by Ottawa.

Last week Beijing lifted a Covid-era ban on group tours to dozens of countries including the United States, Germany, Japan and Australia, but not Canada. There are currently 138 countries on the approved destinations list.

The Chinese Embassy in Ottawa said the reason behind the snub was that "rampant and discriminatory anti-Asian acts and words are rising significantly in Canada" and "the Chinese government attaches great importance to protecting the safety and legitimate rights of overseas Chinese citizens."

Group tours from China to Canada were first approved in 2010. In 2018, nearly 700,000 Chinese visitors visited Canada, spending a total of C$2 billion (HK$11.6 billion) - out of C$22 billion spent collectively by all foreign travelers, according to a report.

That same year, tit-for-tat arrests of a top Huawei executive in Vancouver on a US warrant and two Canadians living in China, accused of espionage, dealt a serious blow to bilateral relations. The three were released in 2021.

China-Canada relations hit a new low this year amid accusations of Chinese meddling in Canadian elections and the attempted intimidation of MPs that led to the expulsion of a Chinese diplomat in May. Beijing responded by sending home a Canadian diplomat from Canada's consulate in Shanghai.

Agence France-Presse

China leaves Canada off tour destinations list