A Canadian task force said on Friday that malicious news articles originating on Chinese social media tried to disparage former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, who is running to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the leader of the Liberal Party.

China may have launched a "disparaging" and "malicious" campaign against Liberal leadership candidate Chrystia Freeland on the social media platform WeChat, according to the task force set up to monitor foreign election interference.

Canada has accused China of targeting Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland with a series of online attacks. The Canadian government believes these actions are part of a broader effort by China to influence its political leadership.

A Canadian task force reported that malicious news articles originating from Chinese social media attempted to discredit former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, a candidate to succeed Justin Trudeau as Liberal

Chrystia Freeland, Canada's former Finance Minister, holds a campaign event after announcing on social media that she will run to replace her former boss, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as leader of the ruling Liberal Party,