Friday, August 28, 2020

Re-Defining Canada's Strategic Approach to China

"There is no question that the U.S. extradition request has put Canada in a difficult position. As prime minister, you face a difficult decision. Complying with the U.S. request has greatly antagonized China,"                                                            "Removing the pressures of the extradition proceeding and the related imprisonment of the two Michaels will clear the way for Canada to freely decide and declare its position on all aspects of the Canada-China relationship."           "The two Michaels [Kovrig and Spavor; former diplomat and entrepreneur respectively] were taken in direct retaliation for the arrest in Canada of Meng Wanzhou. We believe that the two Michaels will remain in their Chinese prison cells until Meng is free to return to China."                                                                   June 23 letter to Prime Minister Trudeau, 19 signatories, former government ministers, diplomats

Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer, Chinese telecom giant Huawei

"I would like to stress once again that things between China and Canada have come to this stage not because of China."                                                             "The Canadian side is well aware of the crux of the problem. It should take immediate and effective measures to correct the mistakes and crate conditions for bilateral relations to return to the right track."                                                             Zhao Lijian, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman

"Minister Champagne again reiterated that the cases of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor remain a top priority for the government of Canada and that Canada continues to call on China to immediately release both men."               Foreign Affairs Canada spokesperson

The stalemate continues. The espionage charges and imprisonment of two innocent Canadians who happened to be in the wrong place at the right time for them to be kidnapped by Chinese authorities under guise of Chinese law protecting the country from the malign influence of foreigners engaged in espionage with the intention of doing harm to China. Beijing, of course, denied time and again that the two Canadians were spirited away and imprisoned on trumped-up charges in retaliatory action against Canadian law that respected a U.S.-Canada extradition agreement when Canada was asked by the U.S. to extradite Huawei's CFO to stand trial in the U.S. on charges of fraud.

Death sentences were judicially applied to four other Canadian citizens who had been charged with drug trafficking. Chinese authorities placed a hold on its long-time importation of Canadian canola products and pork unsettling Canada's agricultural industry by cutting off export to one of the country's largest importers of Canadian grain and livestock products. All the while, the government of Canada while asking its allies to exert pressure on China for the release of the two Canadians, went about business as usual with China.

At a time of an impending global pandemic crisis, Canada sent PPE equipment to China to aid its COVID-19 emergency, then found itself entirely without that critical personal protection equipment for Canada's embattled health professionals once the SARS-CoV-2 virus made its speedy way into Canada. Then Canada signed off on a contract with Chinese pharmaceutical companies to co-test a promising coronavirus vaccine, the Chinese company in direct tandem relationship with the Chinese military.

Contracts were signed with Chinese companies for technical equipment for Canada's embassies and consulates abroad, as though Beijing wouldn't dream of using such equipment as a cyber-entry to Canada's diplomatic, trade and intelligence communities. And despite that Canada, as a member of the "Five Eyes" group of the U.S., New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Australia, sharing intelligence, remains the only one among the five not having yet decided to exclude Huawei Technologies from its 5G network upgrade. 

Former Prime Minister Jean Chretien along with other former high-echelon parliamentarians, plumps for tighter trade relations with China, having led a number of trade delegations to China when he was prime minister, to pave the way for his private post-government plans to curry favour with Beijing, and bring high profit margins to corporations doing business with his post-government employment in a prestigious law firm, is in favour of capitulating to Beijing's demands.

Rather galling, at the very time when Beijing has chosen to surrender its pretense of rule-of-law in conjunction with international standards, admitting finally that the capture and incarceration of the two Michaels was a retaliatory act. Typically, the Peoples' Republic of China political elite speak to other countries in paternalistic chiding statements behind which lie hard threats of dangerous times ahead when other countries fail to give China its due; other nations are always invited to 'correct their mistakes' to restore China's confidence in them. The 'right track' achieved to Beijing's satisfaction.

The most recent request by Canada through its foreign affairs minister, Francois-Philippe Champagne to release the two Michaels and to commit to clemency for the four Canadians sentenced to death elicited the response making it clear that all these pressure tactics are directly related to the intention by the government of Canada to honour its international agreements, in this case an extradition request by the U.S. Beijing has slammed the door on expectations it might miraculously honour international norms in diplomacy, insisting anew that the release of Meng will automatically ensure the release of the Michaels.

A woman holds an anti-CCP sign outside of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou’s hearing at the BC Supreme Court in Vancouver, British Columbia on Monday, May 27, 2020. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

 

 

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posted by Pieface @ Friday, August 28, 2020

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