Chinese language consular officers met with a Vancouver metropolis corridor worker final month and urged her to cancel an arts occasion that highlighted communist occasion repression, sources informed International Information.
On the assembly, representatives of China’s consulate informed a employees member of town’s civic theatres department that they wished a collection of performances by the Shen Yun dance group to be stopped, the sources stated.
The occasion, a celebration of Chinese language cultural traditions misplaced beneath Communist rule, additionally acquired bomb threats, however went forward anyway April 8-12 on the city-owned Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
However the incident means that China continues to make use of its diplomatic missions to silence dissent in Canada, whilst Prime Minister Mark Carney pursues a detente with Beijing.
Canada’s intelligence companies have alleged that China makes use of each diplomatic and international interference ways, equivalent to threats and harassment, to advance its pursuits abroad.
In accordance with Public Security Canada pointers, “concentrating on any stage of presidency to affect public coverage or decision-making in a approach that’s clandestine, misleading or threatening, and is opposite to Canadian pursuits” constitutes international interference.
International Information isn’t naming town worker who met the consulate officers attributable to potential security considerations.
Approaching Canadians within the diaspora, and who could have members of the family in China weak to reprisals, is a typical international interference tactic.
Beijing has lengthy focused Shen Yun, a New York-based performing arts group that has toured the world for the previous 20 years, and makes use of the banner “China earlier than Communism.”
By its consulates, Beijing has decried the Shen Yun reveals as “anti-China propaganda” which might be spreading the ideology of Falun Gong, a motion banned by Beijing as an “evil cult.”
A Vancouver metropolis corridor spokesperson confirmed that employees from Vancouver Civic Theatres (VCT), which falls beneath town’s path, met with representatives from the Chinese language consulate in early April.
“Throughout this assembly a spread of cultural matters have been mentioned, together with the Shen Yun manufacturing,” a metropolis of Vancouver press spokesperson wrote in an announcement in response to questions from International Information.
“Over time, VCT has engaged with many organizations, people, consulates and neighborhood teams expressing differing views on occasion content material,” she added.
“Workers could, every so often, meet with representatives of consulates for information-sharing functions. These conversations are high-level and don’t contain coverage choices or commitments.”
“VCT doesn’t censor or restrict lawful freedom of expression inside its venues.”
The town wouldn’t reply questions on what the Chinese language officers stated to town worker relating to Shen Yun, however sources informed International Information that the consulate wished the occasion cancelled.
“The mayor and council have to take this very significantly,” stated former Vancouver mayor Kennedy Stewart, now an affiliate professor on the Simon Fraser College College of Public Coverage.
“What’s worrying to me is the extent of interference. Taking pot photographs at politicians is one factor, however beginning to infiltrate throughout the civil service and immediately intimidating civil servants, I haven’t heard of that earlier than,” he stated.
“So that is maybe an emboldened transfer by the consulate, if they’re actively stepping into and attempting to alter metropolis operations, bypassing politicians, bypassing political avenues and doing this internally.”
“That’s deeply worrying to me.”
The Chinese language consulate didn’t reply to questions. The Vancouver municipal official in command of the venue the place the Shen Yun present was staged didn’t reply to telephone and textual content messages.
Beijing seeks to silence criticism
Principal dancers, from left, Minghui, Angela Lin, Angelia Wang, Evangeline Zhu, Nara Oose, Lillian Parker and Tiffany Lin at premiere of movie about Shen Yun, New York, March 24, 2026, in New York. (Picture by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP).
Shen Yun could also be recognized to most Canadians for the colorful flyers dropped of their mailboxes selling their occasions, if not for the performances themselves.
However for the Chinese language authorities, the present has turn out to be a preoccupation, in response to a company representing Falun Gong practitioners.
“Why is a proclaimed superpower afraid of a dance efficiency?” requested Joel Chipkar, spokesperson for the Falun Dafa Affiliation of Canada.
Way back to 2011, the Chinese language consul common in Vancouver urged then-mayor Gregor Robertson to boycott Shen Yun on the grounds that it was all “cult messages and political assaults,” Enterprise in Vancouver reported.
In the course of the international interference inquiry that delivered its report in 2025, members of the Canadian Falun Gong neighborhood testified about efforts to intervene in Shen Yun performances.
They spoke about bomb threats to venues and stated Chinese language consular officers had warned Shen Yun’s sponsors that their enterprise with China can be impacted, and they’d not have the ability to get hold of journey visas.
“Chinese language embassies and consulates world wide have tried to sabotage and forestall the present from performing in several elements of the world,” in response to a report submitted to the inquiry.
Previous to the 2026 Shen Yun tour, Chinese language consulates resumed their marketing campaign, releasing statements urging nations to “reject the cult” and to as an alternative attend “genuine” Chinese language occasions.
Though Vancouver metropolis employees didn’t acquiesce to the consulate’s alleged push to axe the reveals, the sources stated the worker who met with Chinese language officers was upset in regards to the encounter.
“For civil servants, it’s very worrying. They actually haven’t any defence in opposition to this. It’s elected officers who’ve to face up for them,” Stewart, the previous Vancouver mayor, stated in an interview.
He stated town ought to order employees to not attend any additional conferences with consular officers, and ask the federal authorities to analyze the incident.
“A letter has to go to International Affairs asking for an investigation on this, and since that is repeated behaviour, Ottawa could need to evaluate whether or not or not they need to truly shut this consulate down,” he stated.
“Whether it is this blatant and there’s this type of sample of interference with native affairs, perhaps it’s greatest if all of the interactions are by way of the official embassy in Ottawa.”
Toronto present cancelled over e-mail threatening to detonate explosives
Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, British Columbia on Oct. 8, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/Don Denton.
Earlier than touchdown in Vancouver, Shen Yun carried out in Toronto on March 28 with out incident, however a menace on March 29 prompted the evacuation of the theatre.
Despatched by e-mail, it stated explosives had been positioned contained in the 4 Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, in addition to on Parliament Hill.
The identical e-mail account despatched one other message the next day, warning that gunmen would enter the theatre disguised as viewers members, shoot the performers and set hearth to the venue.
“Simply wait and see,” it stated.
Toronto police informed International Information the threats “have been decided to be unfounded,” however the Canadian Opera Firm, which owns the 4 Seasons Centre, cancelled the remaining performances.
A spokesperson for the venue stated the choice was made, “out of an abundance of warning, prioritizing the security and well-being of our artists, audiences, and employees given the data, time, and assets accessible in that second.”
Organizers introduced on Monday that that they had rescheduled the Toronto performances for June 24-28.
However at a latest Toronto screening of a documentary movie about Shen Yun, attendees stated the present ought to have gone on, since police had decided no real menace existed.
“We’ve been coping with these sorts of focused assaults for a really very long time, not solely in Canada, however in Europe, in Asia,” stated Sunni Zhou, a Shen Yun dancer who grew up in Mississauga.
Every time, the threats have been deemed false, she stated. “We need to preserve preventing as a result of what we’re doing right here is so superb,” Zhou stated. “Irrespective of how laborious it’s, it’s all the time price it on the finish.”
Steve Lance, the manager producer of the movie, Unbroken: The Untold Story of Shen Yun, stated bomb threats additionally led to the evacuation of a efficiency in Taiwan.
“However the present goes on as a result of on the finish of the day, we all know the place these threats are coming from. They’re coming from China. They’re not credible, they usually’re actually simply meant to trigger panic and terror.”
In February, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was evacuated from his official residence after receiving a menace to blow it up except he cancelled the Shen Yun reveals within the nation.
“It’s actually a type of terrorism, and never within the sense of an precise bomb menace, however to terrorize folks and drive worry in them and forestall them from going out to their native theatre to see a efficiency.”
He stated Shen Yun is focused as a result of it showcases conventional Chinese language tradition “rooted in divinity and ethical rules.”
The Chinese language Communist Celebration, which is atheist, due to this fact views it as a menace, he stated.
Is China emboldened by Carney’s embrace?
Vancouver mayoral candidates Ken Sim, left, and Kennedy Stewart at city corridor, September 7, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck.
The week Shen Yun was to open in Vancouver, an e-mail arrived on April 2 that stated a “massive amount” of ammonium nitrate explosives and a distant detonation gadget “have been positioned.”
“Please instantly cancel all future Shen Yun performances,” it continued. In any other case, the explosives can be detonated, learn the e-mail, which was reported to the Vancouver Police Division.
Police decided it was a hoax. Cybercrime officers discovered that the e-mail deal with used to ship the message was related to a telephone quantity in China, an officer informed occasion organizers.
As a precaution, a bomb sniffing canine checked the theatre and located no explosives. In distinction to Toronto, the reveals went forward regardless of the alleged objections from the Chinese language consulate.
There isn’t any proof that the threats come immediately from the Chinese language authorities, however Beijing’s demonization of the present and of the Falun Gong could effectively have been contributing elements.
Additional, the Canadian Safety Intelligence Service recognized the Individuals’s Republic of China (PRC) as lately as Friday as one of many “primary perpetrators of international interference” within the nation, together with India, Russia, Iran and Pakistan.
“PRC international interference is wide-ranging. It targets all ranges of presidency,” the report of the Hogue international interference fee stated, including Beijing seeks to “management and affect Chinese language diaspora communities, form worldwide opinions and affect politicians to help PRC insurance policies.”
Whereas Ottawa has pushed again in opposition to Beijing’s meddling in Canadian affairs, U.S. President Donald Trump’s predatory commerce insurance policies have prompted Carney to courtroom President Xi Jinping.
Dissidents, nevertheless, are warning that they’re experiencing elevated harassment and that Carney’s reengagement with Xi could have emboldened China to proceed concentrating on them.
“The Canadian authorities is encouraging the Chinese language dictator Xi Jinping to do no matter he desires, no matter he wants. And he is aware of that, clearly,” stated human rights activist Sheng Xue.
Probably due to her activism, Xue stated she was repeatedly focused, together with having her e-mail deal with utilized in threats to assault venues internet hosting Shen Yun performances.
She stated Carney’s coverage was sending the message that it was okay to work with China, for the reason that prime minister was doing so, and that some would take it as a inexperienced gentle to assist the communist occasion exert affect in the neighborhood.
Canadian political leaders must be standing beside those that are persecuted by China, equivalent to pro-democracy activists, Falun Gong, Tibetans and Uyghurs, Xue stated.
“There are such a lot of, however I’m so sorry that our prime minister, he selected to face beside Xi Jinping,” she stated.
“It’s, in fact, completely flawed.”
The Prime Minister’s Workplace didn’t reply to questions.
Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca
