INTERNATIONAL: The Prime Minster of Canada, Justin Trudeau, said in an interview on Saturday that Western countries need to work together and stand strong against China to prevent the Asian country from using the economic opportunities it offers to play Western countries against each other.

He said in an interview with Global Television, "We've been competing and China has been, from time to time, very cleverly playing us off each other in an open market, competitive way.”

"We need to do a better job of working together and standing strong so China can't play the angles and divide us one against the other,” he continued.

Relations between Canada and China have been strained ever since Canada detained Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer, Meng Wanzhou, on a U.S. extradition warrant in 2018, and China, shortly after, detained two Canadians while denying accusations of hostage diplomacy.

Canada's frequent questioning of China's human rights positions have prevented the two countries from improving their relations, and earlier this month, Canada also announced it would be joining its allies in a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. The diplomatic boycott is intended to send a message to China as a united front over the country’s questionable human rights record.