The Canadian government’s “complicit approval” of the deal that saw China’s Zijin Mining Group buy the Toronto-based miner “raises a litany of questions” about Canada’s understanding of “the threat imposed by the Chinese Communist Party,” Republican Representatives Michael Waltz, Elise Stefanik and Lance Gooden wrote in a letter to five U.S. cabinet secretaries.(CTV News)

Talking point: Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne has defended the review of the deal, but Waltz told CTV that Champagne doesn’t seem to grasp the “grave national-security threat.” The letter questions the extent of Canada’s cooperation with the U.S. joint plan on critical minerals, which they said has not been made public. The letter requests a briefing on Canada’s correspondence with the U.S. and transcripts of Champagne’s meetings. Waltz, Stefanik and Gooden have all been vocal critics of the Chinese government, including supporting theories blaming China for COVID-19.