The Chinese embassy in Canada has reportedly lodged protests over a trip that University of Ottawa Professor Roland Paris and Information Integrity Lab Director Jennifer Irish made to Taiwan in August for a conference. According to the Globe and Mail, the embassy filed demarches with both the Government of Canada and the university regarding the visit. Paris stated that it was “important to call out these actions as a form of intimidation” and expressed his concern about the fact that this activity could discourage other researchers from attending. Paris noted that he did not change his plans after being contacted by the embassy about the trip, citing his job security as a tenured professor and asserting that UOttawa “completely has my back.” The Globe notes that there are no rules or agreements preventing Canadian citizens from visiting Taiwan at this time.
