As China keeps trying to menace other countries into submission, the latest bully tactics could work out for Canada.

These are not good times for Canadian politicians or businesspeople with interests in maintaining the “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” charade that has characterized Canada-China relations. If anything, Beijing — which declined an opportunity to defuse the latest crisis — seems primed for confrontation.

After Chinese government security agent Zhao Wei was outed in the Canadian news media for allegedly interfering with Canada’s affairs and harassing family members of MP Michael Chong, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave the Chinese Embassy a week to gracefully withdraw Zhao, who was based in China’s Toronto consulate.