Conservative MP Michael Chong travelling to Taiwan to ‘assert Canadian sovereignty’

OTTAWA — Conservative MP Michael Chong is travelling to Taiwan this week in a self-described bid to assert Canadian sovereignty.

The former cabinet minister says the trip is to show solidarity with Taiwan, and also to spite China’s ambassador to Canada.

In an interview with The Globe and Mail last month, Beijing’s envoy to Canada said any MPs travelling to Taiwan would risk damaging the new partnership between the two countries Prime Minister Mark Carney signed this year.

In a news release, Chong said Canadians “do not take direction from a foreign government about where Canadian MPs can travel internationally.”

According to Global Affairs Canada, in 2024 Taiwan was Canada’s 15th largest trading partner and sixth largest in Asia.

Although Taiwan considers itself an independent nation, Canada’s official position neither challenges nor endorses China’s claim on the island — yet still treats Taiwan as part of the government’s long-standing One China Policy.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2026.

The Canadian Press