As an MP, Han Dong Had At Least 12 Calls with Chinese Diplomats: Court Filing

Han Dong, a former Liberal MP who now sits as an independent, celebrates with supporters as a provincial Liberal candidate in the Toronto area on May 22, 2014. Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press

MP Han Dong, who is suing Global News for libel, says in a recent filing with the Ontario Superior Court that he previously had at least a dozen calls with Chinese Diplomats—one of which was Beijing’s ambassador to Canada.

Dong, formerly a Liberal MP who now sits as an independent, made the calls as a part of his duties as an MP, his lawyer claims in the filing, which was obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter.

“It is common practice for MPs to speak with diplomats as part of their work particularly if their constituents require access to services provided by these diplomats,” says the statement of claim.

The claim says an undisclosed number of Dong’s calls with Chinese diplomats pertained to his role as co-chair of the Canada-China Legislative Association.

Several of the calls, however, were not related to travel visas or other constituency matters, the claim acknowledges.

“These conversations were recognized methods of diplomatic communication,” Dong’s lawyer wrote. “From time to time, Dong’s office would provide notes from these calls to the Department of Foreign Affairs.”

The court filing also says Dong held four separate conversations with the Chinese ambassador to Canada or China’s consul in Toronto.

Dong’s lawyer wrote that the conversations were not related to matters of trade, tourism, or his work at the Canada-China Legislative Association. He also specified that they were not related to Beijing’s detention of Canadian citizens Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, who were imprisoned in China in 2018 during the Huawei Meng Wanzhou case.

Dong’s lawyer wrote that the MP’s relationships with both the Chinese ambassador and the consul general were “professional.”

“They are not close friends,” he wrote. “To the best of Dong’s knowledge, he had phone conversations with the Consul General five times and the Ambassador seven times between 2020 and 2022.”

Dong launched a libel suit against Global News on April 20 and is seeking $15 million in damages related to a series of reports by the outlet alleging that he participated in a foreign interference network backed by the Chinese communist regime.

Allegations

A Global News report published in February cited unnamed national security sources who alleged Dong was one of 11 federal candidates who received support from Beijing in the 2019 federal election. It also alleged Dong was a “witting affiliate” in the regime’s election interference networks in Canada and had been under surveillance by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

Another Global report published in March alleged that Dong suggested to the Chinese consul-general in Toronto in February 2021 that Beijing should hold off on releasing Kovrig and Spavor.

Shortly after the report’s publication, Dong resigned from the Liberal caucus and become an independent member in the House of Commons.

In his resignation speech on March 22, Dong denied the allegations but said he was stepping away from the Liberal caucus so that “the business of Parliament is not interrupted as I work to clear my name and the truth is presented to Parliament and to Canadian people.”

In the statement of claim, Dong’s legal team accused Global News and some of its journalists of failing “to meet the standards of responsible journalism” in their reports about Dong, such as relying on anonymous sources for some of their stories. 

Corus Entertainment Inc., the parent company of Global News, has previously stated that its reporting is “governed by a rigorous set of Journalistic Principles and Practices.”

Andrew Chen contributed to this report.