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Shelve any talk of a free trade deal; complain to the WTO; expel China’s Winter Olympic athletes. Kick out the ambassador himself.

As China further tightens the screws on Canadian exports and expatriates, pressure is mounting on the federal government to do something to retaliate in what has been a largely one-sided conflict between the nations.

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Two former ambassadors to Beijing and Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer are among those calling on the Liberal government this week to abandon its non-confrontational approach and take stiffer action, arguing the current strategy has achieved little.

The lack of response from Ottawa may even be exacerbating the situation, said Charles Burton, a former Canadian diplomat in Beijing.

“So far I can’t perceive any meaningful response by the Canadian government to anything China’s been doing since December,” said the China expert at Ontario’s Brock University. “And I think that’s emboldening the Chinese to recognize they have people within our government who are prepared to bow to their interests.”