Canada Free Trade with China Caveats: Oxford professor Ngaire Woods on Brexit and the European Single Market

A new golden decade for Canada-China relations - The Globe and Mail

A new golden decade for Canada-China relations - The Globe and Mail


"It is the first time that China will hold talks with a member of the Group of Seven on the issue of an FTA"

Response to the Argument that Canada Should Address Our Aborignal Issues Before Raising Concerns Human Rights in China

Of course "our own situations with our own internal treatment of indigenous peoples who live in poverty, poor housing and on and on" are a national disgrace. China raises these often with us to try and establish a moral equivalence with their treatment of Tibetans and Uyghurs. In my experience as a diplomat in China with responsibility for the human rights file, this is not annoying to the Government of Canada as so you suggest, but welcomed to open diplomatic engagement on Canada's international obligations to indigenous people. But our First Nations enjoy the protection of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. They not subject to arbitrary arrest, and torture to force false confessions simply for standing up for their language, religious and civil rights.

By not speaking out in response to China's oppressive policies we give the Chinese regime tacit consent for their violations of international law as defined by the UN and earlier international bodies such as the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague. Of course if the Chinese regime felt no guilt over their repressive policies against their own people to maintain their power and elite privilege, they would not lash out so emotionally and irrationally against these things being exposed to the light of the day abroad. It has to be abroad as their people live under severe internet censorship and knowledge that speaking truth to power leads to prison camp with no due process of Chinese law. We should give voice to the voiceless.

Standing idly by in the face of injustice is weak and shameful.

The United States is targeting state-sponsored hackers with criminal prosecutions, travel bans and financial sanctions

Canada, China to discuss accord on cybersecurity

"The United States is targeting state-sponsored hackers with criminal prosecutions, travel bans and financial sanctions"

My Opinion Piece "Where is Canada going with China now?" - The Globe and Mail

Where is Canada going with China now? - The Globe and Mail

As the Chinese ambassador put it in his speech to the Manitoba-International Business Forum, “the bond of friendship and co-operation between China and Canada has been growing stronger.” During his visit, the Premier “expressed the readiness of the Chinese government to work together with the new Canadian leadership in cultivating a richer and more substantive partnership of all round co-operation between the two countries.” He continued: “China and Canada should work together to bring their economic partnership to a higher level,” explaining “China is planning to import more from Canada” so as to “double the volume of two-way trade by 2010.”

Wait – did he say 2010?

Déjà vu all over again! That Manitoba speech was given in 2003 by previous Chinese ambassador Mei Ping, after Premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to Canada. Then, in 2005, President Hu Jintao came to Canada, and with Prime Minister Paul Martin jointly announced a China-Canada “strategic partnership,” again promising doubling of trade – this time in just five years. (In fact, due to the global economic crisis of 2008, trade levels briefly actually dipped.)

Message from Stéphane Dion on Extradition to China

Stéphane Dion

@MinCanadaFA

Before this week's debate http://ow.ly/ZHtj304wsE6, the gov't was open and clear: 'start discussions' on extradition http://ow.ly/6A7W304wsEV

Ottawa to negotiate extradition treaty with China - The Globe and Mail

Ottawa to negotiate extradition treaty with China - The Globe and Mail

Mr. Burton said the federal Justice Department has argued against Canada signing an extradition treaty, even if there is evidence that some of the fugitives that China is seeking are engaged in criminal activities.

“We don’t have an extradition treaty with China for fairly clear reasons. The rules of evidence are not the same there. There are reports of death sentences for white-collar crime and pervasive evidence of torture in interrogation,” Mr. Burton said.

CBC Power and Politics - My interview on Kevin Garratt's release

Power and Politics - CBC Player

Rosemary Barton's interview with me starts at about 3 minutes in.

My Opinion piece in The Globe and Mail "Garratt’s release a win for Canada – and China"

Garratt’s release a win for Canada – and China - The Globe and Mail



"It is clear that the Chinese government underestimated the degree of Canadian public outrage over Canadian citizens unjustly imprisoned in foreign lands for ill-defined political reasons. When Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was in Canada last June he insisted on a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a move that went beyond normal diplomatic protocol. At that 15 minute confab, Mr. Trudeau – rather than showing ritual deference to a senior representative of the Middle Kingdom – instead used the occasion to explain to Mr. Wang at length that Mr. Garratt’s continued imprisonment was severely constraining the possibilities for greater engagement, which China was expecting from the new Liberal government. One can understand why it was that when Mr. Garrett’s name was brought up again at a press conference shortly thereafter that Mr. Wang lost his composure and delivered the diatribe that has marked him forever as a diplomatic philistine."

Hillary Clinton should step aside

My impression from looking at recent photos of Hillary Clinton in the new this morning is that she looks old and in poor health.  She should step aside from her candidacy in the interests of her nation. 

The Democrats need a younger candidate with less political baggage asap.

How Australia Needs to Manage its Relationship With China | The Diplomat

How Australia Needs to Manage its Relationship With China | The Diplomat



I commend this article as having much relevance for Canada

Canadian research body relied on paper communications after Chinese hack, documents show

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/records-show-extensive-fallout-from-chinese-hack-of-national-research-council/article31695327/

As my 9 year-old niece would put it: "OMG!!!"

Does Canada’s openness for Chinese business, silence on the South China Sea, signal shift away from U.S.? | National Post

Does Canada’s openness for Chinese business, silence on the South China Sea, signal shift away from U.S.? | National Post

Not naming China publicly implies “tacit consent to what China is doing,” said Brock University’s Charles Burton.

“The U.S. will be highly concerned about Canada’s ever closer relationship to China,” he said, and neither candidate in its upcoming election will look kindly on Canada “not openly and firmly standing up for the (arbitration) decision.”

Burton connected the issue to Canada’s decision to join the AIIB, “against U.S. urging.”

Chinese-Canadians Fear China’s Rising Clout Is Muzzling Them - The New York Times

Chinese-Canadians Fear China’s Rising Clout Is Muzzling Them - The New York Times



"A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa declined to answer questions about China’s involvement with ethnic Chinese communities in Canada."

My Opinion Piece in the Globe and Mail this Morning "Visit to China a tricky one for Trudeau"

Visit to China a tricky one for Trudeau - The Globe and Mail



"This file has never been easy. In the 1970s, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, in extraordinary naiveté, admired the Communist leaders of his time, Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, as good and wise rulers dedicated to revolutionary social justice. This as millions of Chinese were being subject to torture in the name of Marxist ideological remoulding, with untold numbers left to die in the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution.

By the 1990s, Mr. Chrétien reached out to Chinese Premier Li Peng – a key player in the violent suppression of the 1989 Tiananmen Movement – on the basis that economic engagement with the West would lead China to a democratic transition. To this end, he agreed to give tacit consent to China’s human rights violations by a “going-through-themotions” engagement of China on human rights behind closed doors.

Now, our Prime Minister wants to build a new relationship on a palatable moral foundation. Unfortunately for China’s Communist Party under General Secretary Xi Jinping, the democracy and human rights train has left the station and won’t be coming back on his watch."

My Interview on Radio Canada International Today "PM’s China visit amid growing concern over canola and South China Sea"

PM’s China visit amid growing concern over canola and South China Sea

“The Chinese government put a lot of stress on personal relations and Justin Trudeau is starting with a considerable advantage because of the legacy of his late father,” Burton says.

Following Justin Trudeau’s visit to China and the G20 Summit, Premier Li Keqiang, China’s second-highest-ranking leader, is scheduled to visit Canada in mid-September, for several days prior to the United Nations meetings in New York City, beginning September 19th."

Comment on "Mother of pop star dating Vancouver mayor could face death penalty in China for allegedly embezzling $69M"

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/mother-of-pop-star-dating-vancouver-mayor-could-face-death-penalty-in-china-for-allegedly-embezzling-69m

My heart aches with anger and compassion for the huge number of victims left in awful bad circumstances due to Chinese government cadres-business cronies scam.  But I don't support slanging Wanting Qu for it.  It is a super terrible situation all 'round.

The bottom line is that changes to ensure economic, political and judicial justice and address the systemic issues that inform this kind of large-scale tragedy repeating over and over need to be made in China sooner the better.

My Opinion Piece in the Globe and Mail "The driving force behind Beijing’s moves in the South China Sea"

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/the-driving-force-behind-beijings-moves-in-the-south-china-sea/article31284492/

China’s destabilization of the South China Sea indicates a deeper issue that goes to the fundamentals of the Communist Party People’s Republic régime. At its founding in 1949, Chairman Mao Zedong declared: “Ours will no longer be a nation subject to insult and humiliation. We have stood up!” The flow of this logic is “China’s civilization is ancient and great. China was weakened and is victimized by amoral Western forces. China will rise again and set things to rights.”

Comment on "For Hong Kong ethnic Chinese, foreign passports offer no protection in China - The Globe and Mail"

For Hong Kong ethnic Chinese, foreign passports offer no protection in China - The Globe and Mail

"Canadian-born Chinese with Hong Kong parents, for example, have been told they are Chinese nationals and not allowed to travel to China on their Canadian passports, but must use a Chinese permit instead. The Diplomat magazine last month reported that Chinese visa authorities are demanding that 'Canadians of Chinese descent apply as Chinese nationals when travelling to China.'”

Comment:  The Government of Canada should be much more proactive in effectively responding to this discrimination against Canadians on ethnic basis and the denial of their right to consular protection.  If China will not respond Canada should retaliate.

British Decision on Nuclear Plant Angers China and France

Mrs. May told Mr. Hollande that her new government wanted to look at the deal again, as any new government would. But since then it has become clear that her main concerns are with the Chinese involvement, and she seemed to be signaling an end to the British willingness to be China’s best Western ally in return for Chinese investment.

http://nyti.ms/2aHUn78