The Canadian government has accused China of conducting "covert police operations" on its territory, and intends to raise the issue at the upcoming G7 meeting.
Bloomberg reported, citing informed sources, that there is growing concern in Ottawa that Beijing is establishing unofficial "police stations" in Western countries to spy on and terrorize members of the Chinese community there.
The sources, whose identity was not revealed by the agency, claimed that the United States, Italy, Germany and Britain had faced similar problems earlier.
"Foreign interference in any form is unacceptable, and until the investigations into foreign interference in Canada's affairs are completed, we will not provide further comment," Jean-Sebastien Comeau, spokesman for Canada's Department of Public Safety, told the agency.
Canadian authorities are expected to share the results of their investigation with other G7 members in the coming weeks to develop a “unified response to such a threat.”
The Chinese embassy in Ottawa has denied the allegations, saying there are no "overseas police stations" on Canadian soil.