Charles Burton: Canadian politicians, is China trying to foster a ‘friendship’ with you? Here’s some advice
China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), collaborating with the Chinese Communist Party’s massive United Front Work Department, has a two-pronged strategy for turning western legislators into Beijing’s proxies.
The first tactic is huaren canzheng: getting persons of Chinese origin elected to public office, at all levels. Allegations of China’s consulate in Toronto busing in young Chinese nationals to stuff a Liberal nomination meeting and provided false IDs to suggest these youngsters were residents in the riding, is classic MSS — swaying elections in countries with lax democratic processes.
Beijing expects anyone of Chinese origin, as descendants of the mythical Yellow Emperor Huangdi, has an irrevocable requirement of loyalty to China.
The second is long-term cultivation of people who are not ethnic Chinese but who can influence Canada’s policies to promote Chinese interests. It typically starts early in a politician’s career, “spreading the net wide” to support specific candidates, often done through false-front organizations. Those who wittingly or “semi-wittingly” become China’s proxies will often be given free trips to China through “friendship associations”, including the Canada-China Legislative Association.
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