Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau said Ottawa will not be intimidated by China after Beijing expelled its Canadian diplomat from the consulate in Shanghai Tuesday.

The two nations have seen relations further deteriorate in a recent diplomatic tit-for-tat spat after Canada first ousted Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei from his post after he was found to have been involved in an intimidation ploy that targeted Canadian lawmaker Michael Chong and his family in Hong Kong.

"This is a reciprocal countermeasure taken in reaction to Canada’s provocation to protect China’s lawful rights and interests," Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters Tuesday. He added that the move was "consistent with established diplomatic practice and completely justified and necessary." 

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Trudeau shot back at China’s response and said, "We understand there is retaliation, but we will not be intimidated, we will continue to do everything necessary to keep Canadians protected from foreign interference."

The most recent deterioration in relations occurred after Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly declared Zhao a persona non grata on Monday. 

According to reporters earlier this month, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) found that Beijing attempted to gain knowledge on any family members of Chong "who may be located" within Chinese borders in an apparent attempt to "make an example of this MP and deter others" from taking anti-China stances.

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"I have been clear: we will not tolerate any form of foreign interference in our internal affairs. Diplomats in Canada have been warned that if they engage in this type of behavior, they will be sent home," Joly said in a Monday statement posted to Twitter. 

China has rejected Canada’s claims as "false" and "unfounded," calling the ousting of Zhao "unscrupulous."

But the long-standing tense relations between Beijing and Ottawa date back to December 2018, when Canadian authorities detained Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou on fraud charges at the request of the U.S.

China responded by arresting two Canadians on alleged spying charges later that month, though all three individuals were freed in 2021. 

Wenbin did not comment on Trudeau’s comments during his Wednesday press conference, though he previously called Canada’s actions against Zhao an "ideology and politically driven manipulation designed to slander and denigrate China." 

Reuters contributed to this report. 

Authorities in eastern Switzerland ordered residents of the tiny village of Brienz to evacuate by Friday evening because geology experts say a mass of 2 million cubic meters of Alpine rock looming overhead could break loose and spill down in the coming weeks.

Local leaders said during a town hall and a media event Tuesday that residents would have to leave by 6 p.m. on Friday but could return to the village from time to time starting Saturday, depending on the risk level, but not stay overnight.

The centuries-old village straddles German- and Romansch-speaking parts of the eastern Graubunden region, sitting southwest of Davos at an altitude of about 3,800 feet. Today it has under 100 residents.

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The mountain and the rocks on it have been moving since the last Ice Age, local officials say. But measurements indicated a "strong acceleration over a large area" in recent days, and "up to 2 million cubic meters of rock material will collapse or slide in the coming seven to 24 days," officials said.

Over the last century, the village itself has moved a few inches each year, but the movement sped up over the last 20 years. The landslide has been moving about about 3 feet per year. Geological surveys suggest the situation has become even more precarious.

Christian Gartmann, a member of the crisis management board in the town of Albula, which counts Brienz in its municipality, said experts estimate there's a 60% chance that the rock will fall in smaller chunks, which may not reach the village or the valley. The landslide could also move slowly.

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But there's also a 10% chance that the whole 2-million-cubic meter mass may tumble down, threatening lives, property and the village itself, he said.

"We hope that the village stays intact," Gartmann said by phone. "We can't eliminate the possibility that it (the rock) will come down. ... It could damage the village or destroy it."

Gartmann said glacier melt had affected the precariousness of the rocks over millennia but that melting glaciers due to "man-made" climate change in recent decades wasn't a factor.

Experts concluded that a controlled explosion to set off a rock slide was too dangerous because it would require drilling under the rock — itself a hazardous operation, Gartmann said. Erecting a giant pile of sand or a wall to try to hold back the rocks also wasn't considered feasible, he said: The wall would have to be at least 230 feet high to protect the village.

Many of the evacuees were expected to stay with family or friends, though local leaders have received offers from concerned neighbors to provide temporary housing. He said. At the current "orange" alert level, however, farm animals were to be left behind.