The Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei is being expelled by the Liberal government after being implicated in a scheme to threaten Conservative MP Michael Chong and his family in Hong Kong, according to Canada’s intelligence service.

The Canadian government has designated the diplomat posted in Toronto as persona non grata, due to what Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly called “foreign interference in our internal affairs,” according to a statement Monday.

Joly, who cautioned last week that Beijing would retaliate if Ottawa did expel diplomats, says the decision came after “careful consideration of all factors at play.”

After stating that China may pose a threat to the security of Canadians and the nation’s economic well-being, Joly declared that “defending our democracy is of the utmost importance.”

The Chinese government was looking at ways to frighten Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong because of his criticism of Beijing’s human rights record, according to information C.S.I.S. acquired in 2021, according to a report in the Globe and Mail.

China has claimed that it does not meddle in the internal affairs of other nations, but it has also stated that it will react to provocation.