The Canada/China Contortion Conundrum and the United States
"We are in a uniquely complicated spot.""We are being borne along a current with very few options. So the idea that we can craft a way forward easily is wrong.""They don't see it in Chinese thinking as an oppressive thing, they just see themselves in more benign terms as the leading civilization in the world, and that they ought to have an important say in the affairs of the world and even a dominant position.""But it's not a Nazi-like military conquest of the world."Gordon Houlden, director, China Institute, University of Alberta"It's been said that China doesn't have allies, it has markets.""I attribute the Cold War spirit and the Cold War stresses, in largest part to China's actions, as well as the tone of their 'wolf warrior diplomacy', which isn't very diplomatic."Margaret McCuiag-Johnston senior fellow, University of Ottawa, former member, Canada-China Joint Committee on Science and Technology"It will require much more thought, it will require much more management of foreign policy.""That will be difficult for everybody. It'll be particularly difficult for Canada because we haven't put much thought into our foreign policy for a long time, and we're going to pay a price in terms of the learning curve that we have to go up.""That's the first step [Beijing releasing detained Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor] when I talked about China's assault on our sovereignty and our autonomy.""It's sapping the will, it causes countries to feel that it's just impossible, it's too much work. And that was never Canada's approach in the past, but I worry that we've succumbed to that to a certain extent."David Mulroney former Canadian ambassador to China 2009-2012
The U.S. Senate passed a bill aimed at competing with China on economic and other fronts. It wants clarity on U.S. strategy for working with allies. (Jason Lee/Reuters illustration) |
U.S.
legislation titled the Innovation and Competition Act, a 1,445-page
bill is set to lay the groundwork for broad strategy on the part of
America to enfeeble Beijing's plan to raise the country globally as a
colossus of commerce, a guide to the world's perplexed over China's
increasingly aggressive stance as the ultimate world-leading power. The
Act identifies strategic industries where the recommendation is for the
U.S. to ramp public support for quantum computing, advanced
semiconductors and pharmaceuticals to continue to reflect America's
preeminent global role.
It
also proposes more substantial protections for America's share of
critical minerals, expansion of research spending with an aim to
strengthen cyber defence capabilities as primary objectives, among
others. That same act places Canada in a role in sections of
legislation; plans deeply consequential that will rework and reshape
Canadian foreign policy for some time to come. This, as American
officials spur forward on a protracted conflict with China for global
supremacy; an issue observers refer to as the new Cold War.
That
Cold War is in active engagement between the two giants on a number of
fronts including cyber warfare, military expansionism, technological
research, culture, infrastructure, and intellectual property. All areas
incidentally, which in one way or another Beijing has stealthily
intruded upon in the process enriching itself with the results of its
cyber-scrutiny otherwise known as stealth-theft. There is little
question that Canada's traditional neighbourly ties with the United
States will inform its inclusion in the U.S.-led agenda dividing China
and the U.S. where trade and national security are issues of huge
importance./China impedes both at will; one as punishment the other as
threat.
The
links between Canada and the U.S. are historically strong and
steadfast, culturally and politically. with the U.S. Canada's largest
trading partner. An agreement between the two neighbours was signed to
establish new supply chains for critical minerals and rare earths as
defence against China's zeal in gaining rights and overwhelming
ownership to both. Canada has been lax in deciding whether, like all
other members of the Five Eyes intelligence group, it will shut Huawei
out of its 5G upgrade.
On the surface the U.S. legislation is clear enough with its plans to uphold a "shared vision of democracy", maintaining the "rules based international order established after WWII", which China flouts with impunity. The loosening of export regimes between the two neighbours, protecting "critical defence-related technology",
establishing open and transparent planning on infrastructure,
co-operating on Arctic defence and energy connectivity, combating
"industrial espionage" and deepening intelligence sharing "particularly in 5G telecommunications technology", all favour more secure ties.
And
all specifically point at China's infamously notorious penchant for
surveillance, espionage and hunger to acquire by foul means the
intelligence and secrets of other countries. "We are in the midst of a fundamental debate about the future and direction of our world",
stated U.S.President Biden in a public statement earlier in the year in
response to a more bellicose, authoritarian China guided by President
Xi Jinping who seized the temptation to step in where the influence of
the United States has waned as it withdrew from various stations of
U.S.-guided support across the world.
The
Communist Party of China is invested in aggressively redressing its
"century of humiliation" when the Western world advanced far beyond the
capabilities that China brought to bear from the mid-1800s to mid-1900, a
situation humiliating to a once-powerful nation. It focuses on a goal
of re-asserting its proper place in the world as a leading nation whose
influence and power can be challenged by no others, even as it
challenges with the assurance of entitlement the lone global super-power
as a has-been entity.
Implacably,
President Xi awaits each opportunity with the patience of an ancient
cultural tradition of self-assurance renewed. His mantra of "socialism with Chinese characteristics"
has served him and his country well in a few short decades that has
literally pulled the country from its bootstraps up, in economic
advantage leading to its ambitious Belt and Road initiative expanding
travel, trade and telecommunications links with Europe and Asia.
While
bidding for economic supremacy since it joined the World Trade
Organization, China has undermined multilateral institutions and the
international rule of law. At one time President Xi in conversation with
then-President Obama assured there was no intention to militarize the
disputed islands he had built in the South China Sea that he had
illegally preempted as China's sovereign right. They were soon enough
militarized, the purpose for which they had been established.
Multilateral
institutions have been slowly succumbing to Chinese power plans where
international settlements and diplomatic and industrial guidelines are
set. Chinese nationals occupy leadership positions in some 40 United
Nations institutions for engineering, maritime law, health, finance,
atomic energy and dozens of other areas. A situation that would make
even a cynic cringe over future implications where Chinese positions at
the International Telecommunications Union, UN Industrial Development
Organization, Food and Agriculture Association renders massive leverage
to China.
Labels: Canada, China Cuber Theft, Cyber-Security, Innovation Intelligence Surveillance, Trade, United States
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