In April this year, Chinese regime leader, Hu Jintao, asked embassies around the world to stop organizing welcome rallies for visiting delegates, according to state-run Xinhua news agency.

But one of these organized welcome rallies was exactly what Hu Jintao got when he arrived in Ottawa, Canada on Wednesday. According to one local embassy official, it’s part of the communist regime’s “political struggle.”

In a taped conversation obtained by The Epoch Times, the First Secretary of the Education section of the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa, Liu Shaohua told about 50 students that they had to keep secret about attending the welcome events.

[Liu Shaohua, Ottawa Chinese Embassy Official]:
“All of your expense will be paid for, but do not tell this to the outside, don’t tell anyone okay? Just keep it within this circle of people. For our country, this is little money. This is a struggle, a political struggle.”

The "political struggle" Liu Shaohua mentioned could be referring to overseas protestors who are critical of the Chinese regime.

[Liu Shaohua, Ottawa Chinese Embassy Official]:
“This has to do with the reputation of our motherland, and the requirements from the Embassy and from inside China are also very high.”

The welcoming contingent is from across Canada. Liu told the students at the embassy that they should attend the welcome events.

[Liu Shaohua, Ottawa Chinese Embassy Official]:
“We have already organized about 100 people from Montreal, and those on official duties living in Toronto will also come here. As locals, you should attend them even more so.”

China commentator, Wen Zhao, explains why the Ottawa Chinese Embassy may have taken these steps.

[Wen Zhao, China Commentator]:
“Because Hu Jintao is here and so Xinhua and CCTV would definitely follow him. If they take footage along the road and see all these protestors—because there’s bound be a lot of groups protesting—and if there isn’t anyone welcoming Hu, then they can’t show the footage back home. On the contrary, they want to show foreigners how beloved the Chinese leader is, by the Chinese people.”

According to The Epoch Times newspaper, Liu told students on state-funded scholarships they if they could not attend the welcome events they would have to “provide an explanation” and request a “leave of absence.”