China Taking Advantage of Western Sanctions in Burma

This is a fragment from an op-ed entitled "We Can't Afford to Ignore Myanmar " by U.S. Senator Jim Webb published in the New York Times on August 25

"Sanctions by Western governments have not been matched by other countries, particularly Russia and China. Indeed, they have allowed China to dramatically increase its economic and political influence in Myanmar, furthering a dangerous strategic imbalance in the region.

According to the nonprofit group EarthRights International, at least 26 Chinese multinational corporations are now involved in more than 62 hydropower, oil, gas and mining projects in Myanmar. This is only the tip of the iceberg. In March, China and Myanmar signed a $2.9-billion agreement for the construction of fuel pipelines that will transport Middle Eastern and African crude oil from Myanmar to China. When completed, Chinese oil tankers will no longer be required to pass through the Straits of Malacca, a time-consuming, strategically vital route where 80 percent of China's imported oil now passes.

If Chinese commercial influence in Myanmar continues to grow, a military presence could easily follow. Russia is assisting the Myanmar government on a nuclear research project. None of these projects have improved the daily life of the average citizen of Myanmar, who has almost no contact with the outside world and whose per capita income is among the lowest in Asia."

Transcript of My Oral Comments on a Paper by Daniel Bell at U of T March 7, 2009

With regard to Daniel Bell's paper, my general comment is that I love Daniel Bell, but I hate this paper. I see it essentially as inheriting the nineteenth century perspective by Westerners resident in China at the time, who proposed schemes to make things better for China in accordance with Chinese mores as they defined them--like Arthur Smith's The Chinese. There are a whole lot of these books, all of them out of print.

I don't buy the idea that there is a tendency towards political Confucianism in China. As was pointed out in Qing Miao's paper, the tendency is towards individualization and less focus on family and the state by young people today. I think that Daniel Bell's paper conflates two different things: first, ideologies that allow us to seek meaning in our life, like Confucianism, and secondly, the political institutions that ensure a good and just society. They really are not the same. I am a Christian. I have a lot of faith in Psalm 72, which says, “He shall serve the children of the needy and shall break into pieces the oppressor.” Very meaningful for me, but I don't suggest it be written into any constitutional document.

I do think that Dan has Confucianism on the mind. For example, on page two of his paper, he says the government has been promoting Confucianism via branches of the Confucius Institute. Actually, the Confucius Institutes are a function of the Ministry of Education, guojia hanban to promote the study of Chinese language and culture. The Germans have the Goethe Institute and the Spanish have the Cervantes Institute, so the fact that it is called the Confucius Institute does not mean that the Chinese government is trying to promote the study of Confucius. They are trying to promote the study of Chinese language, literature and culture in general. I think that one shouldn't draw too much out of this.

Can Confucianism offer a compelling alternative to Western liberalism? I really don't consider the two as being the same. I see Confucianism as a way of understanding the meaning of life, but I do not find anything in Confucianism that is relevant to contemporary politics. Really nothing, zero.

On page four, he says that, “I do not deny that such 'Western' values as social democracy, solidarity, human rights and the rule of law need to be adopted in China. They also need to be adapted in China, they need to be enriched and sometimes constrained by Confucian values.” I disagree that social democracy, solidarity, human rights and the rule of law should be constrained. While there might be some cultural spins on the rule of law, or on what social democracy is, or what solidarity is, enriching and constraining these Western values by Confucian values strikes me as a justification for authoritarianism.

Finally, with regard to his proposal for a meritocratic house of government with deputies selected by such mechanisms as free and fair competitive examinations that would have the task of securing the interests of foreigners, future generations, ancestors and minority groups typically neglected by democratically selected political decision makers. I am not sure about the motivation for this. The Canadian Senate was originally designed as a house of meritorious people to constrain the Canadian House of Commons, which was people-based and it hasn't worked out as we hoped. I think the concern about tyranny of the majority has problems. If one is concerned that the majority of Chinese who are not foreigners, future generations, ancestors or minority groups, would be unfairly treated in a democratic system, the normal way in most countries for addressing tyranny of majority in a democratic system is a charter of rights and freedoms, rather than relying on the rule of virtuous men.

I think that Left Confucianism is able to be defined by whatever one wants to ascribe to it because the Confucian tradition is a very varied and rich tradition that says many contradictory things. What is Confucianism? It's in the eyes of the interpreter. I studied the history of ancient Chinese thought at Fudan University and worked on Neo-Confucianism, which is not really Confucianism at all. There are many strains there, and when you have such a huge, diverse and rich cultural tradition, you can pull a lot of things out of it to justify your own agenda.

He does mention that Jiang Qing says that Marxism no longer grabs the people and Confucianism is most likely to do so. I think that there could be some justification for that because Marxism-Leninism Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and the Three Represents, which are encapsulated in the Chinese Constitution and the Constitution of the Party, are largely discredited and something else would be more appealing. Actually anything else would be more appealing. The question is, do we need another ideology to legitimate patriarchical authoritarian rule? If Marxism isn't working, why try Confucianism to justify a non-democratic society?

On the plus side, and your final point, which I do agree with because I love this stuff, you refer to the current crisis of confidence in the West that might lead Western intellectuals to urn to Confucianism for hope and inspiration. I am actually not expecting large numbers of Western intellectuals to turn to Confucianism for hope and inspiration, but I wish they would. That is my assessment of your paper and I am sure we can discuss it later.

US Ambassador Huntsman on US President's Visit to China in November

Huntsman, unanimously approved by the US Senate earlier this month as Obama's ambassador to Beijing, called the US-China relationship "the most important in the world".

Besides the economic and trade relationship, the United States and China needed to focus on a series of other issues, including energy and climate, the global economy and regional security, he said.

"These are complex issues, they are not going to be resolved easily, but in order to get to where we all know we can be... it is going to take the United States and China working more diligently on them," Huntsman, 49, said, speaking in Chinese and English.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090822/pl_afp/chinausdiplomacy

Chilling Allegation About Chinese Adoptions

While I was in China this summer, I was invited ouut to dinner and at the dinner table the conversation turned to recent loosening of the one child policy requirements. I had felt rather uncomfortable in Kunming seeing billboards and ads on buses place by hospitals and clinics competing for the business of abortion of "unplanned pregnancy." Some offered "specials" of only 100 yuan for professional fees for an abortion, no appointment necessary. That would be about $15 Canadian. So I am happy to learn about this loosening due to the new problem of aging population in some areas such as Shanghai.

Continuing the table chat, I mentioned how many childless Canadian couples had adopted abandoned baby girls from China and what a joyous thing it was to see happy families of loving white parents and Chinese looking girls together. I was then asked about the costs of adoption and I explained my understanding of the various not inconsiderable cost of adopting from China including "donation" to the Chinese orphanage. To this I was told, "you should recommend to Canadian couples that if they want to adopt they could save money by coming to my province to get them. It would be cheaper and chances of getting a boy to adopt much better." I said how so? The answer evidently is that some out of plan babies, boys as well as girls, ended up in orphanages because their parents could not pay the fine for having an "illegal" second child (usually about a year's average salary as determined by the economic conditions locally). So the local authorities are keen to get their share of the foreign "donation" for such babies and offer such "out of plan" infants from poorer families for adoption abroad at a discounted rate to ensure that the babies are well away in case their grieving parents try and find them and steal them away without paying the fine.  So these are not actually orphans on offer but actually children forcibly ripped from the arms of their loving mothers.

I have no evidence that this sort of thing actually has been going on or if it is just some urban myth repeated between toasts of Chinese wine at a convivial occasion. Nevertheless, it gives me the chills to think about it.

State Councillor Dai Bingguo on Core Interests of the PRC

According to the China  News Agency, at the US-China Economic Dialogue talks in Washington last month, Dai Bingguo indicated: "China's number one core interest is to maintain its fundamental system and state security; next is state sovereignty and territorial integrity; and third is the continued stable development of the economy and society."

http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2009/08/dai-bingguo-%E6%88%B4%E7%A7%89%E5%9B%BD-the-core-interests-of-the-prc/
and
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/gn/news/2009/07-29/1794984.shtml  (original Chinese language report)

Impact of Arrest of Xu Zhiyong

Sharon Hom of Human Rights in China warns: “By suppressing Xu Zhiyong, who is a moderate voice for social change and has dedicated his career to helping forge a society with genuine rule of law, the authorities are running the risk of radicalizing the forces for reform and change in China.” (http://rconversation.blogs.com/rconversation/2009/08/dark-days-for-chinas-liberals.html).

The human rights defenders movement simply attempts to ensure that Chinese citizens enjoy the rights extended to them by China's National Constitution. The suppression of the high-minded lawyers involved in this low paying and risky work is a function of the sort of venal hypocrisy that one hopes will cease to be a feature of Chinese politics in the near future.

Arrest of Activist Lawyer Xu Zhiyong

It really is very dangerous to be a conscientious lawyer in China:

BEIJING - A prominent Chinese legal scholar whose rights group has tackled some of China's most politically sensitive cases, including a tainted milk scandal, has been accused of tax evasion following his arrest a week ago, his brother said Tuesday.
The detention of Xu Zhiyong comes as China appears to be widening a crackdown against activist lawyers and non-governmental organizations to stifle any dissent ahead of the 60th anniversary of the communist nation's founding on Oct. 1.
Last month, more than 50 Beijing lawyers, many of whom focus on politically sensitive human rights issues, had their licenses revoked. In addition, several non-governmental groups have recently been targeted by police for harassment.

Detailed report can be read at:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090804/ap_on_re_as/as_china_lawyer/print

Dambisa Moyo on China in Africa

"The West can choose to ignore all of this, but, like it or not, the Chinese are coming. And it is in Africa that their campaign for global dominance will be solidified. Economics comes first, and when they own the banks, the land and the resources across Africa,their crusade will be over. They will have won.

.     .      .

The mistake the West made was giving something for nothing. The secret of China's success is that its foray into Africa is all business. The West sent aid to Africa and ultimately did not care about the outcome; this created a coterie of elites and, because, the vast majority of people were excluded from wealth, political instability has ensued.

China, on the other hand, sends cash to Africa and demands returns. With returns Africans get jobs, get roads, get food, making more Africans better off and (at least in the interim) the promise of some semblance of political stability."

Dambisa Moyo, Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is a Better Way for Africa. Farrar Strauss and Giroux, 2009, p. 152

Speculation on Jason Kenney's Leadership Potential

I think that it is too soon to speculate on who will be succeeding the current leaders of political parties in the House of Commons in years ahead, but I do find Jennifer Ditchburn's report for the Canadian press "Kenney's rising star has Tories whispering about leadership" very sound and insightful journalism:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5iC7OCJNkNCRk94aFVnQrazDXliUg

China-USA Contingency Plans for DPRK Future

I commend this report by Charles Hutzler on Chinese and US and Chinese-US preparations for intervention in the DPRK in the event of political and miltary instability there:
"Both Washington and Beijing are growing more anxious about the stability of the Korean Peninsula, with Pyongyang's recent missile and nuclear tests, uncertainty about the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and the apparent designation of his 26-year-old son as successor. There's much Washington wants to go over with Beijing in a meltdown scenario: securing North Korea's nuclear weapons, dealing with panicked North Koreans overrunning borders and drawing up ground rules to keep the U.S. and Chinese militaries from clashing as they did in the 1950-53 Korean War.  .  .  .  The South Korean capital, Seoul, is 40 miles (65 kilometers) from the North Korean border and a tempting target for a dying regime. If North Korea mounts an armed resistance to foreign militaries, a force larger than the U.S. committed to Iraq might be needed, a Council on Foreign Relations study said in January."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090801/ap_on_re_as/as_china_rethinking_north_korea/print

I do wonder if I should stop being so assertive with my students considering study or work in the ROK that South Korea is a perfectly safe place for them to travel to.


A good recent article: "Maintaining a Rogue Regime: Kim Jong-il and the North Korean Succession Process"
by Dr. Bruce E. Bechtol Jr.
Marine Corps Command and Staff College
http://www.keia.org/Publications/AcademicPaperSeries/2009/APS-Bechtol.pdf

PRC Gov't Is Promoting Rebiya Kadeer's Political Legitimacy

According to an Associated Press report "China summoned the Australian ambassador to protest a proposed visit to his country by an exiled Uighur leader whom Beijing accuses of instigating recent ethnic riots that killed nearly 200 people, the Foreign Ministry said Saturday.  Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun called the meeting with Geoff Raby because of the trip to Australia next week by U.S.-based Uighur activist Rebiya Kadeer, a ministry statement said. China - one of Australia's most important trading partners - has made repeated requests to the Australian government to refuse her a visa." (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090801/ap_on_re_as/as_china_australia_uighur)

My impression is that Rebiya Kadeer is not so well known yet among Uyghurs outside of major urban centres.  Nor would most people in foreign countries recognize her name.  But the Chinese Government's high volume of passionate condemnation of Ms. Kadeer is certainly helping to build her reputation as an important legitimate representative of Uyghur aspirations. It seems that the more the Chinese Government attempts to demonize her, the more Rebiya Kadeer's prestige in Xinjiang and abroad is enhanced.

US and China talks "unparalleled"

This news item gives me pause for thought:

"US and China talks "unparalleled"
July 28, 2009 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US and China have agreed to cooperate on difficult foreign policy problems such as North Korea and Iran's nuclear programmes as well as counter-terror and climate change.
Mrs Clinton described as unparalleled the range of issues discussed between US officials and Chinese envoys during two days of high-level talks this week.
She also conceded that on human rights both sides had candid and respectful exchanges"
http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/world/us+and+china+talks+unparalleled/3287497"

There have been some indications in recent months that China is edging away from supporting the incompetent régimes it is allied to in Burma and North Korea in favour of Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma and less ideological political factions in North Korea that could prove to be more responsible in conforming to international norms of governance and international relations. Now it appears that China and the U.S. have just completed their most frank, productive, and collaborative consultations on bilateral and multilateral relations since China and the U.S. established diplomatic relations in 1979. I feel a sense of cautious optimism as to how this will develop in the months and years ahead. That being said my cautious optimism with regard to Chinese Communist Government intentions has been proven misplaced many times before. But nevertheless I remain realistically hopeful. Best to be neither naive nor the intractable cynic.

New U.S. Ambassador to China on HR Dialogue in Senate Hearing

Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman spoke to U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committeeon Thursday. At the hearing he indicated:
"I look forward to a robust engagement with China on human rights," said Huntsman, who was a Mormon missionary in China in his youth and speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese.
He said human rights has been "an on-again, off-again discussion" between the U.S. and China. He said he'd like to "regularize and systematize" human rights talks "so that it isn't a once a year discussion where the talking points are pulled out and then dispensed with.
After the hearing, Huntsman was mobbed by Chinese news media. He answered their questions in Mandarin."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090723/ap_on_go_co/us_huntsman_china

Pidgin Uyghur Highway Signs and Tragedy of Han Ignorance

I strongly recommend these two articles on Xinjiang:

1. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/07/09/how_china_wins_and_loses_xinjiang

2. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/11/world/asia/11xinjiang.html


While I don't see any simple solution to the problem of incompatible competing ethnic nationalisms, it seems to me that the Government in Beijing could do much better in extending Uyghurs genuine respect and dignity.  This could ease the anger and resentment that many Uyghurs feel.  The current bungling heavy handed and ignorant Chinese Government policies in Xinjiang clearly only exacerbate deeply held sensitivities on both sides.  I thank God that in Canada our major ethnic cleavage between anglophones and francophones is managed by Governments in such a way that today we see little violent expression of historical resentments.

Fragment from Report on Arrests of Rio Tinto Execs in China

"Chinese authorities on Sunday arrested four Rio Tinto employees, including the group's top iron ore salesman in China, Australian Stern Hu, alleging they were involved in stealing state secrets. The affair has cast a shadow over Australia-China relations.
Australian papers were critical of Rudd on Friday, with most calling it a crisis for his center-left government and pointing to a serious deterioration in Canberra's relationship with its second largest export market.
"There is an air of contempt in the way the Chinese authorities have failed to respond to Australian government requests for information and for consular access to Mr Hu until today," wrote the Australian newspaper's foreign editor, Greg Sheridan.
"What does the much touted Australia-China relationship add up to if Beijing treats Canberra with such conspicuous discourtesy and indifference?" Sheridan wrote.
Rudd said Australian diplomats had made "strong" representations to Chinese officials and diplomats from the Beijing embassy were expected to gain consular access to Hu later on Friday."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090709/wl_nm/us_australia_china_rudd

Tragedy in Xinjiang

Similar to the situation in Tibet, the source of the ongoing conflict in Xinjiang is that the Han and the Uyghurs have incompatible interpretations of the history of the same territory.  The Han are passionate that Xinjiang is an integral part of their sacred Chinese Motherland.  The Uyghurs with equal passion see their East Turkestan homeland as illegitimately colonized by a foreign power.  This is a question of recognition of identity, the stuff of men's souls.  People are irrationally ready to sacrifice their lives for genuine recognition of their religious and cultural ethnicity and to assert the political destiny of their national identity.

China's policy has been to engender economic development in Xinjiang as a means to bring the Uyghurs into the great project of China's Han-led rise.  But exactly contrary to the Chinese Communist Party's expectations, the more Uyghurs achieve middle class standards of living, the more Uyghur nationalistic they are likely to become.

In the meantime the level of anger reaches a fever pitch and violence ensues and there is terribly bloody death and destruction.

Comment on Chinese FM Visit to Ottawa

I am interested by the Canada-China Business Council's assertion that Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi is making a "sudden visit" to Canada and the CCBC's indication that the Government of China and not the Government of Canada has asked the CCBC to make arrangements for Mr. Yang in Canada:
"The Canadian business community has an unexpected but very welcome opportunity to stand behind our frequently-voiced and strongly-held beliefs that China is critical to our future. Following recent successful visits of Ministers Day and Cannon, China's Foreign Minister, YANG Jiechi, will make a sudden trip to Canada next week, and the Government of China has contacted us and requested an opportunity to connect with CCBC members over lunch on Tuesday, June 23, in Ottawa.
The foreign minister's invitation is a clear response to the business community's ongoing efforts and strong voice for renewal of the Canada-China relationship and the importance of close diplomatic relations at all levels to business success in China. The Canadian business community has this opportunity, despite very short notice, to demonstrate to the government of Canada and, of equal importance, to the government of China, our support for the efforts from both governments to accelerate a renewal of deep ties.
We are inviting the premiers who accompanied us on our visit to China last November, plus Canada's most senior political figures, and this letter is a call to action to Canada's most senior business leaders to be present and visible at this very important event. Our honorary chair, Mr. Andre Desmarais, will be present, and we expect excellent representation from Canada's senior executives.
We acknowledge that time is tight and schedules are busy, but please make every effort to attend this luncheon. It will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase your company's support for the re-energizing of the Canada-China relationship over the past few months."
An account of Mr. Yang's speech at the luncheon can be found here:  http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/worldnextdoor/archive/2009/06/23/lunch-with-yang-jiechi-china-s-foreign-minister.aspx and here: http://www.canada.com/Canada+China+relations+upswing+Chinese+foreign+minister/1727279/story.html and here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/friendlier-china-shows-willingness-to-embrace-canadas-new-tone/article1194343/

DFAIT's announcement of a photo opportunity with Mr. Cannon and Mr. Yang at 6:15pm on the 22nd prior to their scheduled bilateral meeting at the Pearson Building includes the observation:
"China is the world's fastest-growing major economy and is playing an increasingly important role on the global stage, making the Canada-China bilateral relationship more important than ever." I very much endorse this notion.

Nevertheless, Mr. Cannon has indicated that he is not willing to resume a government to government "bilateral human rights dialogue" with China as such. This could be causing tension with the Government of China as other nations may follow Canada's lead and refuse to participate in this format of engagement with the Chinese authorities on human rights. This would be on the basis that after more than 10 years of dialoguing this format of engagement has proven to be ineffective in promoting social justice in China. This is quite strongly supported by China's flat rejection (as articulated quite bluntly by the Chinese Ambassador Li Baodong) of most of the recommendations of the UN Human Rights Council following the HRC review of China's human rights record earlier this year.

David Shambaugh on Role of the Central Party School

In a recently published article David Shambaugh writes of the Central Party School as follows: "In additional to teaching courses in each of these subject areas and conducting their own research, the CPS faculty has long performed the important role as a think tank (zhineng ku 智能库) for the Central Committee and high Party organs."  Later on he refers to "the key role played by the CPS as the Party's primary think tank for generating new ideas and policies concerning political and ideological reform."  Shambaugh gives much detail on this point in the latter part of the article.


"Training China's Political Elite: The Party School System," The China Quarterly, 197, December 2008, pp. 827-844.



(http://charlesburton.blogspot.com/2009/06/david-shambaugh-on-role-of-chinese.html)

Two Extracts from Calgary Herald on Canadian Foreign Policy

"The Harper government has consistently argued that its foreign policy positions are driven by principle. On China, in particular, one Tory insider, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the government’s criticism of Beijing has been driven by the personal convictions of Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, rather than any political calculation.

A government spokeswoman echoed the argument that Harper’s policy is driven by political principles, not pandering.

'We make foreign policy decisions based on all Canadians’ interests, supporting our common values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law,' Catherine Loubier, spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon, wrote in an e-mailed statement.

. . .

The Harper government’s criticism of China on human rights, which has been toned down after ongoing objections from both big business and the Chinese-Canadian community, doesn’t qualify as an example of pandering, said the Tory insider.

He said Kenney has made clear to party members he has pushed an outspoken position based on personal principles even though many Chinese-Canadians, regardless of their views on communism, have resented the public criticism of their “mother country” — especially during the 2008 Olympics that Harper refused to attend."

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Catering%20minorities%20puts%20pressure%20foreign%20policy/1695307/story.html

Nancy Pelosi defends human rights advocacy

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she strongly challenged Chinese leaders on human rights abuses during her trip to the country last week, pushing back on the notion that she has been less aggressive about the issue since she became speaker.

“We were very frank about human rights,” Pelosi told a Brookings Institution luncheon Friday afternoon. “They knew who they were meeting with.”

“There was no way that we would go to China and not talk about human rights,” she said.

Pelosi has come under criticism over reports that she ducked the human rights issue during her trip to China.


Full text at http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0609/23407.html

Statement in the Canadian House of Commons on 1989 Tiananmen Square Protest

Mr. Scott Reid (Lanark, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, today marks the 20th anniversary of the tragic events in Tiananmen Square. At the time, Canada took a strong, principled stand and unequivocally condemned the communist government's murderous crackdown on its own peaceful citizens.

For this, the government of the day was criticized by some who felt that standing up for human rights in China could jeopardize Canada's investment opportunities in that country.

In addition to the demonstrators, among the heroes of Tiananmen Square are the Chinese government officials, such as Zhao Ziyang, who sympathized with and supported the protestors at great risk to their own personal safety.

That is why, when the world learned of Zhao Ziyang's death in 2005, Canadians were once again proud to see our current Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism visit Zhao's family home to pay his personal respects. Once again, as with our principled stand in 1989, the Minister of Immigration was criticized by some who were concerned that this would damage Canada's commercial interests in China.

History can never be purged of the truth, and memory is more powerful than oppression. We hope that China will use the opportunity to examine the --

The Speaker:
The hon. member for Winnipeg North.

http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=40&Ses=2&DocId=3959285#SOB-2810187

The June 4th Anniversary and Canada-China Relations

My op-ed "Tiananmen: 20 years later, suppression still reigns" was published in the Halifax Chronicle-Herald on June 4, 2009. It can be read at: http://thechronicleherald.ca/Opinion/1125512.html or here. My original title for this piece is: "The June 4th Anniversary and Canada-China Relations"

PM Announcement of David Mulroney as Ambassador to China

PM announces appointment of Canada's Ambassador to the People's Republic of China

27 May, 2009
Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced today the appointment of David Mulroney, currently Deputy Minister of the Afghanistan Task Force in the Privy Council Office, as Canada’s Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China.

“David Mulroney brings foreign policy expertise and proven leadership to this position, making him ideally suited to represent Canada in our important relationship with China,” said the Prime Minister. “Mr. Mulroney has made an invaluable contribution to his country as Deputy Minister of the Afghanistan Task Force and he will continue to represent Canada with great distinction.”

A career public servant and diplomat, Mr. Mulroney has held positions of increasing responsibility within the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the Privy Council Office. Mr. Mulroney first joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 1982, serving abroad in Seoul, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur and Taipei. In 2001, he was appointed as Assistant Deputy Minister, first for the Asia-Pacific Region, then for broader Bilateral Relations. In 2006, he joined the Privy Council Office as Foreign and Defence Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister. Mr. Mulroney served as Associate Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister’s Personal Representative to the G8 Summit from 2007 to 2008. In February 2008, Mr. Mulroney was appointed as Deputy Minister of the Afghanistan Task Force in the Privy Council Office.

http://pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?category=1&id=2592

China Background of Current UK Ambassador to China

Sir William Ehrman was appointed as Her Majesty's Ambassador to the People's Republic of China in January 2006.

Sir William joined the British Diplomatic Service in 1973 after graduating from Cambridge University with a first class Honours degree in Chinese. After language study in Hong Kong, he was posted to Beijing from 1976 to 1978. Sir William subsequently served in the UK Mission to United Nations before returning to Beijing in 1983 where he served as a member of the negotiating team on the future of Hong Kong. Sir William was later appointed Political Adviser to the Governor of Hong Kong from 1989 to 1993.

Notice of Talk: "What the Rise of China Means for Canada"

What the Rise of China Means for Canada

May 21, 2009 8:00pm to 9:00pm

What

NOTICE OF THE SEVENTH MEETING OF CIC-SASKATOON - 2008-2009 PROGRAMME

DATE: Thursday May 21, 2009

PLACE: President¹s Room, Saskatoon Club, 417 - 21st Street East (Dinner ­ Main Floor)

TIME: 8:00 p.m.

SPEAKER: Dr. Charles Burton, Professor of Political Science, Brock University, and CIC Research Associate

TOPIC: What the Rise of China Means for Canada

The ascent of China to greater heights on the world stage has coincided with Canada's progressive loss of political and financial influence within this region. Dr Burton's research leads to the proposition that Canada desperately needs to renew its China policy. Join us as Dr Burton leads us through his research as he proposes some of the steps our country needs to take to adapt to these new realities.

Charles Burton is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Brock University. Dr Burton's position as Research Associate in the Canadian International Council is a recent accolade in an academic career has taken him, among other places, Cambridge University, University of Toronto, and Fudan University in Shanghai. He has written extensively on China and North Korea, and his expertise has been utilized by Department of National Defence and the Canadian Embassy in Beijing.

DINNER: If you plan to attend the dinner, please meet at 6:00 p.m. Cost per person is $24.00. Please call Virginia or Tanis at 966-4654 by Tuesday, May 19, 2009, before 4:00 p.m. Calls cannot be accepted after that time.

Reservations for dinner cannot be made for persons who call late.

Reservations will be made for all persons who call on time and such persons will be expected to pay even if they can not or do not attend. Persons with reservations who cannot attend, are encouraged to find someone else to take their place.

Tiananmen, 20 ans plus tard

Tiananmen, 20 ans plus tard

avec

Cai Chongguo

Réfugié politique en France depuis 1989 et

et auteur de J'étais à Tian An'men

Charles Burton

Politicologue de l’Université Brock

et

Rowena Xiaoqing He

Chercheuse au Fairbank Centre for Chinese Studies

de l’Universtité Harvard

Lundi 1 juin 2009

19 h

Centre d’archives de Montréal

535, avenue Viger Est

(Métro Berri-UQAM)

RSVP : lchicoine@dd-rd.ca ou (514) 283-6073 poste 227

Cai Chongguo, originaire de Wuhan en Chine, il vit en France depuis 1989 où il a été reçu comme le réfugié politique à la suite du massacre de la Place Tiananmen. Il est rédacteur en chef de l'édition chinoise du China Labour Bulletin. Il est l'auteur de Chine: l'envers de la puissance (Mango, Paris, 2005) et de J'étais à Tian An'men (L'Esprit du Temps, Paris, 2009

Charles Burton est diplômé du programme d’histoire de la pensée chinoise ancienne du Département de philosophie de l’Université Fudan. Il a été conseiller aux affaires politiques à l’ambassade du Canada en Chine de 1991 à 1993 et de 1998 à 2000. Il enseigne au Département de science politique de l’Université Brock depuis 1989.

Rowena Xiaoqing He est chercheuse invitée au Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies de l’Université Harvard et détentrice d'une bourse de perfectionnement post-doctoral du Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada. Elle s’intéresse plus particulièrement à la vie politique dans la société chinoise, à l’éducation citoyenne et à la démocratie.

June 7: An excellent summary of the discussions that evening can be found at: http://chinaatourgates.blogspot.com/2009/06/tiananmen-roundtable-in-montreal.html

From Tiananmen ‘89 to Charter ‘08: China’s Road to Democracy

Toronto Association for Democracy in China

Tiananmen + 20

Public Forum

From Tiananmen ‘89 to Charter ‘08: China’s Road to Democracy

May 31, 2009 (Sunday) 1 - 4 pm

Ontario Institute of Studies in Education (OISE) Auditorium
University of Toronto, 252 Bloor St. West, Toronto

Welcome

Kari DEHLI

Chair, Department of Sociology and Equity Studies in Education

Remarks

Hon. Consiglio DI NINO

Senator, Canadian Parliament

Panel One: Looking Back

WANG Dan

Ph.D. Harvard University and former Tiananmen student leader

CAI Chongguo

China Labour Bulletin, France and former union organizer

Jan WONG

Writer-Journalist and former Globe and Mail Beijing bureau chief

SHENG Xue

Moderator

Panel Two: Moving Forward

Charles BURTON

Professor of Political Science, Brock University and former attaché, Canadian Embassy, Beijing

GAO Wenqian

Senior Policy Advisor, Human Rights in China and former official biographer of Zhou Enlai

Rowena HE Xiaoqing

SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow, Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, Harvard University

Cheuk KWAN

Moderator

Supporting Organizations

Amnesty International, Canada-Hong Kong Link, China Labour Bulletin,

China Rights Network, Federation for a Democratic China,

Human Rights in China, PEN Canada, Rights and Democracy

U.S. appoints Utah Governor with fluent Mandarin as Ambassador to China

SALT LAKE CITY -- A Republican governor whose name has come up as a potential challenger to President Barack Obama in 2012 intends go to work for the president as ambassador to China, a source close to the governor said. Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who is fluent in Mandarin Chinese from his days as a Mormon missionary in Taiwan, has accepted the appointment, said the source, who would speak only on condition of anonymity ahead of a White House announcement expected Saturday.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22589.html

China's Zhao decries June 4 "tragedy" from the grave

There are reports today that a memoir by Zhao Ziyang based on tapes made secretly over his years of house arrest will be published in an English-language version by Simon and Schuster entitled Prisoner of the State. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090514/wl_nm/us_china_tiananmen

I am sceptical of the reliability of this document unless the tapes it is allegedly transcribed from can be made available.

National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2009-2010) and China's Political Future

The Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China issued the "National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2009-2010)" on April 13. It responds to Recommendation 5 of the "Report of the UN Human Rights Council Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review of China" issued on March 3 which calls on China to publish and "swiftly implement" a human rights action plan "as soon as possible." It was also issued in the context of the high degree of publicity given inside and outside China to the "Charter 08" a manifesto signed by over 303 prominent Chinese intellectuals and human rights activists to promote political reform and democratization in the People's Republic of China released in December 2008 to mark the 60th anniversary of the promulgation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Plan is strong on promotion of economic, social and cultural rights indicating that the Government of China "strives to ensure that all the people enjoy their rights to education, employment, medical and old-age care, and housing." The document also acknowledges "the principle that all kinds of human rights are interdependent and inseparable." Thus, the Action Plan "encourages the coordinated development of economic, social and cultural rights as well as civil and political rights." But while China signed the UN's International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1998, progress to ratification has been very slow. Moreover, the Action Plan makes no concrete reference to future Chinese Government intentions with regard to issues that had been highlighted in Charter 08 such as movement to genuine electoral democracy, independence of China's judiciary, true freedom of the press, or the right of citizenship to participate in freely formed organizations including trade unions, religious organizations, and associations who function to influence public opinion on issues including environmental and ethnic concerns. In mid-January, China's number 4-ranked official, Jia Qinglin published an article in the theoretical journal Qiu Shi that the Chinese Communist Party should "build a defensive line against interference by erroneous Western ideas" rejecting the suitability of a multiparty system or separation of powers for China.

Nevertheless the Action Plan does include some concrete commitments such as "Effective measures shall be taken to prohibit such acts as corporal punishment, abuse, insult of detainees or the extraction of confessions by torture. All interrogation rooms must impose a physical separation between detainees and interrogators. The state establishes and promotes the system of conducting a physical examination of detainees before and after an interrogation."

The above example notwithstanding, in general while this Human Rights Action Plan is short on specific commitments, it does empower human rights discourse in China by the simple fact of the existence of a such an authoritative government statement on human rights to which the Government of China can be held accountable. Hopefully the National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2009-2010) will lead to greater respect for the rights of citizenship of people in China by political authorities at all levels in China in years ahead.

Chinese Ambassador Lan Lijun Statement to Senate For Aff Ctee April 29 that DFAIT had Intention to Revive the Canada-China Human Rights Dialogue

"China is willing to conduct human rights dialogues with other countries to exchange ideas, to have a better understanding and to improve where we need to improve. With Canada, we had established a human rights dialogue. We conducted human rights dialogues on several rounds, but due to reasons on Canada's part, that dialogue has been stopped. I understand the government has an intention to revive that mechanism."

http://www.parl.gc.ca/40/2/parlbus/commbus/senate/Com-e/fore-e/47176-e.htm?Language=E&Parl=40&Ses=2&comm_id=8


I believe that the concerns expressed in my 2006 report for DFAIT on the Human Rights Dialogue are still valid. It can be read here:
English: http://spartan.ac.brocku.ca/~cburton/Assessment%20of%20the%20Canada-China%20Bilateral%20Human%20Rights%20Dialogue%2019APR06.pdf
Français: http://spartan.ac.brocku.ca/~cburton/Evaluation%20du%20dialogue%20bilateral.htm

Good News About Minister Cannon's Meetings in Beijing

There is a report of an interview that Bill Schiller of the Toronto Star had with the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs earlier today: http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/632297
I am particularly taken with this part of Bill Schiller's report:
"Cannon also revealed that Canada was looking at a 'new mechanism' to deal with concerns about human rights in China and that the Chinese were 'open' to the idea.
Canada suspended its formal human rights dialogue with China in 2006, following a report from the Canadian foreign affairs ministry saying that the discussion format and results were ineffectual. They dialogue has not been resumed since.
Cannon insisted that the Harper government would never abandon its principles on the issue of human rights.' When I talk about "frank" (discussions), I'm specifically talking about being able to say, to our partner, what we believe is important in terms of human rights,' Cannon said.
'I certainly want to be able to reassure Canadians that we have not changed our principled approach on this. That is still there. As long as Stephen Harper is Prime Minister of Canada, I can guarantee that's going to be there. It's part of our DNA," he said.'

Mr. Cannon had a 2.5 hour working lunch with the Chinese Foreign Minister and an unusual 40 minute meeting the Vice-President Xi Jinping.

I feel quite encouraged by the preliminary reports of this visit.

Theoretical Bottom Line on Human Rights Issue in China

I think more and more that all the issues are expressions of a deeper problem that the Chinese leadership and population in general does not understand much less internalize the meaning and important value of citizenship. To solve any of China's myriad human rights problems in a thoroughgoing way this has to be solved. If this is solved then all of the problems could be addressed meaningfully.

Report: 5,335 students dead/missing in China quake

facebook Charles Burton 07 May 11:59 Report: 5,335 students dead/missing in China quake Very hard to understand why Chinese Government refuses to acknowledge that there are problems in school construction due to corruption. Children are at risk in substandard school buildings built below code minimum standards with inadequately reinforced concrete, etc. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090507/ap_on_re_as/as_china_quake or here.

Letter from Canadian Coalition on Human Rights in China to Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs

I very strongly endorse the contents of the letter sent on May 6, 2009 to Lawrence Cannon by the Canadian Coalition on Human Rights in China. It can be read here.

Conditions for Canada Getting "Approved Destination Status" for Tourism from China

I have heard from many sources the view expounded by DFAIT that the the sole barrier to China extending Approved Destination Status" is Canada's inability to return Mr. Lai Changxing back to China to face charges of smuggling, bribery and tax evasion.

The larger issue though is that the reason that Mr. Lai has not been returned to China is because of the ruling by Mr. Justice Yves de Montigny that contains two main elements:
1. doubt about the Chinese Government assurance that Mr. Lai will not face the death penalty if sent back for trial. Mr. Lai's own brother has died in prison under unclear circumstances. But possibly more importantly is the issue of how a diplomatic note issued by the Government of China can anticipate the result of a judicial process in a nation where the death penalty is applicable to serious economic crimes.
2. doubt that Mr. Lai can get due process of law in China. This is why Canada and China cannot negotiate an Extradition Treaty. The rules of evidence in China do not meet international judicial standards. Due to a 1988 Supreme Court of Canada decision, Mr. Lai as a foreign national enjoys the protection of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms the same as Canadian citizens do.

So the issue is larger than simply the Lai case. If the Canadian courts agree to return Mr. Lai to China to face charges this will have significant implications for all the large number of Chinese citizens who like Mr. Lai are alleged to have committed crimes in China and who are currently in Canada as Convention refugees unable to be made accountable for what they may have done before they arrived in Canada.

The barrier to Approved Destination Status for Chinese citizens to come to Canada as tourists rests with our Refugee determination process as a whole. The Lai case is simply one expression of a larger issue in Canada-China relations.

I discuss this at further length in my long report on Canada-China relations which can be read at http://www.canadianinternationalcouncil.org/research/canadianfo/areassessm

This matter was also discussed by me and Neil Tait of the Bank of Montreal on the TV program "The Agenda with Steve Paikin" on March 19. See http://charlesburton.blogspot.com/2009/03/streaming-viideo-for-canadas.html

National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2009-2010)

The Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China issued the "National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2009-2010)" on April 13.

It can be read at http://www.china.org.cn/archive/2009-04/13/content_17595407.htm

It is a document of almost 16,000 English words in 27 separate web pages. I have combined all 27 into one to make it easier to read and print out as a complete text. The can be found here.

I expect to comment on the document on this blog some time next week.

Canada-China Relations on CTV "Question Period"

Video of my appearance on the CTV with Paul Evans of UBC on April 12: http://watch.ctv.ca/news/ctvs-question-period/april-12-2009/#clip160272

The interview of Stockwell Day by Craig Oliver done the day before can be found at: http://watch.ctv.ca/news/latest/day-in-china#clip160270

A report in the Globe and Mail challenging an aspect of the above interview that quotes my views: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090413.wchina13/BNStory/National/
or here
Highly favourable Chinese commentary about this Globe and Mail report: http://gb.cri.cn/27824/2009/04/16/2685s2486369.htm

A news report about my appearance on CTV "Question Period" today (Sunday) can be found at:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090412/qp_day_090412/20090412?hub=QPeriod or here

David Mulroney - Biographical notes

DAVID MULRONEY

Date of Birth:
November 1954

Education:
B.A., English, University of Toronto

Professional Experience

Since February 2007
Associate Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

2006 - 2007
Foreign and Defence Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister in the Privy Council Office

2005 - 2006
Assistant Deputy Minister, Bilateral Relations, Foreign Affairs Canada

2001 - 2005
Assistant Deputy Minister, Asia-Pacific, Foreign Affairs and International Trade

1998 - 2001
Executive Director, Canadian Trade Office in Taipei, Foreign Affairs and International Trade

1995 -1998
Executive Director, Canada-China Business Council

1992 - 1995
Commercial Counsellor, Canadian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, Foreign Affairs and International Trade

1990 - 1992
Executive Assistant, Deputy Minister for International Trade, Foreign Affairs and International Trade

1988 - 1990
Deputy Director, East Asia Trade Division, Foreign Affairs and International Trade

1985 - 1988
Consul, Canadian Consulate General in Shanghai, Foreign Affairs and International Trade

1982 - 1985
Trade Commissioner, Canadian Embassy in Korea, Foreign Affairs and International Trade

1981 - 1982
Assistant Trade Commissioner, St-John’s Regional Office, Industry Trade and Commerce

Response to E-mail from a Friend Who Returned to China after an Absence of 26 years

I think that one thing that has not changed in China is the Stalinist-style security apparatus. What has changed is that the "soft power" capacity of the Chinese Communist Party to "win hearts and minds" has weakened substantially.

Additional sentences quoting my views at end of on-line version of Globe and Mail report about Stockwell Day's upcoming trip to China not printed

I am quoted in Campbell Clark's report: "Hawkish Trade Minister's Beijing trip signals policy shift" published on page A4 of the Globe and Mail on April 8. That report can be read here.
These two additional sentences are at the end of on-line version:
China would also like Mr. Day to make a clear statement that Canada supports a “One China” policy, and therefore holds no sympathy for the nationalist aspirations of Tibet or Taiwan. But Mr. Burton said that's unnecessary, and could be seen as tacit acceptance of repression.“If he resumes the policies of quiet diplomacy and makes a statement on One China, one will know that he's decided to go over to the policies of the Liberal government,” Mr. Burton said.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090408.wPOLday08/BNStory/politics/

China Background of Nadir Patel, Canada's New Consul-General in Shanghai

Nadir Patel (BA, Wilfrid Laurier University, 1993; MBA, New York University Stern School of Business, London School of Economics and Political Science, HEC Paris School of Management, 2009) began his career in 1990 at Revenue Canada Customs, Excise and Taxation, serving in progressively more senior positions in the department’s offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ottawa and Montreal until 1996. From 1997 to 2003, he served in the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency as departmental assistant to the minister; director of ministerial services; agency adviser to the minister; and secretary to the Board of Management. In 2003, he transferred to the Privy Council Office, serving as chief of staff to the national security advisor to the prime minister, associate secretary to the cabinet, and deputy minister to the deputy prime minister. From 2005 to 2006, he served as senior policy adviser to the clerk of the Privy Council and secretary to the Cabinet. In 2006, he was appointed by the minister of international trade and the minister of transport to his current position as Canada’s chief air negotiator. Mr. Patel succeeds Susan Gregson.

Commons Question Period on China April 3

Mr. Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway, NDP):

Mr. Speaker, the previous government consistently failed to raise human rights with China and placed almost exclusive priority on trade issues. The current government got off on the wrong foot by failing to establish a respectful and positive relationship with that important nation. Indeed, the Prime Minister has yet either to visit China or to invite President Hu to Canada.

We heard that the Minister of International Trade is set to travel to China imminently. Will he commit to raise the issue of respect for human rights in China, and work to establish a productive but principled relationship with that important country?

Mr. Gerald Keddy (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade, CPC):

Mr. Speaker, we always have a respectful relationship with our trading partners. It is also important to mention that we are in the process of opening six new trade offices in China, in six Chinese provinces, and expanded resources in other cities.

The hon. member would like to distort the facts. He would like to say that our international companies and corporations do not respect human rights or the environment. Nothing is further from the truth.

We also recognize that China is our third largest trading partner. We absolutely plan to continue to work in a respectful manner with it.


http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=40&Ses=2&DocId=3804969#Int-2698439

Message from a Friend in Ottawa on How He Learnt that My Report on Canada-China "Must Be Good"

"I am just sending you a brief congratulatory note on your CIC report on Canada-China relations. I think this is by far the most principled statement on Canada-China relations that I have seen so far. They criticized it so much at DFAIT yesterday that I knew it must be good. I subsequently read it for myself. You have done the right thing."

Translation of a Mainland Chinese Commentary on My Report and My Response to It

Canadian Think Tank Recommends that the Government Readjust Its China Strategy
(literal translation by Charles Burton of 加拿大智库：建议政府重新调整对华战略 which can be found at:
http://www.dwnews.com/gb/MainNews/Opinion/2009_3_20_4_7_51_919.html
or http://tinyurl.com/CIC-Report and many other sites on the Internet in China)

by Yan Hong (Vancouver)
Responding to the stalemate in Canada-China relations of the past few years, the long established Canadian foreign policy think tank, the International Council, founded in in 1928, recently produced a report on China policy. It was written by an expert in the think tank, Charles Burton. It is entitled "Reassessment of Canada's Interests in China and Renewal of Canada's China Policy Options." This report is divided into the following sections: Introduction; Trade and Investment; Immigration and Consular Affairs; Development and Human Rights; Political and Economic Relations; Taiwan, Tibet, Uyghur, Mongolian Issues and Falun Gong Issues; Public Diplomacy; Conclusion. The main points of the report are as follows:
1. The report points out that Canada is currently losing market share in China. It proposes that the Government of Canada clearly articulate a strategy to improve and promote access to the Chinese market by Canadian enterprises. This strategy should put emphasis on the distinctive characteristics of the Chinese market and business culture as well as the comparative advantages that Canada has over other competitors in the Chinese market. Moreover there should be very good coordination between the activities of the various Canadian trade institutions and organizations in China.
2. The report emphasizes that foreign policy toward China needs to move from aid diplomacy to human rights diplomacy. Development projects in the areas of good governance, democratic development and human rights should be engaged in through the Canadian Democracy Foundation. It recommends gradually phasing out the Canadian International Development Agency's Programs in China. Because the previous Canada-China Bilateral Dialogue was not effective, the Government of Canada should put its efforts into encouraging China to abide by the United Nations' Human Rights Covenants.
3. The report puts forth that Canada's China policy-making institutions such as the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Security Intelligence Service and the Department of National Defence lack "China specialists." It recommends that fluency in Chinese should be the prerequisite for recruitment of civil servants into the various Canadian Government institutions that formulate China policy. This should be measured by a formal language examination. The report recommends reducing the numbers of locally engaged staff working in Canadian consular offices in China. They should be replaced by staff sent out from Canada who have strong Chinese language skills and strong understanding of how Chinese politics functions.
4. The report asserts that it is not enough that the Government of Canada's level of contact with China is limited to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Offices. It should move beyond the sphere of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the various levels of foreign affairs offices to engage Chinese Communist Party Chinese Government policy-making institutions and establish direct contacts with these. The logic behind this is that these organizations have real policy-making functions. The policies that they formulate will impact on Canada's interests in China. The report acknowledges that Canada-China economic relations are asymmetrical. Because Canada lacks importance in China it is difficult to set up a strategic partnership relationship at the Deputy-Minister level. So the report suggests that Canada settle for establishing a mechanism for dialogue with Chinese ministries at rank of director-general and assistant deputy-minister.

To assess this highly strategic report by a Canadian think tank whose mandate is to inform policy formulation, people at different levels will likely have different interpretations of what it says. But one thing can be affirmed, this report will most likely make an impact on the Government of Canada's China policy. Although the Canadian International Council notes that the report does not represent the views of the think tank, according to Professor Burton, the author of the report, the report reflects the perspective of many Canadian scholars and senior officials. In addition, the Canadian International Council has gone to some lengths to promote this report. It is fair to say that this report represents the position and tendencies of the Canadian mainstream élite. So it is worthy of being taken seriously.

Professor Burton is a scholar diplomat who is a braintruster for both the academy and for government. He was a student at China's Fudan University and has served as Counsellor at the Canadian Embassy to China. He is presently a professor of Comparative Politics in the Political Science Department at Brock University. He has studied the politics of China over a long period and has been contracted to write many reports about Chinese affairs for Canada Immigration, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Security Intelligence Service. So his views are not only representative but also authoritative.

Looking at the fundamental tone of the report overall, Professor Burton primarily analyzes Canada-China relations from the perspective of political science. His stance and views and analytical approach are more or less within Canada's traditional framework. But he has a sharp scholarly logical ability and extensive experience and knowledge of Canada-China relations. The viewpoint and strategic recommendations put forth by Professor Burton in his analysis has value for the Government of Canada. There are two points to make about this:
The first is that the the report engenders a sense of crisis. This is that Canada is losing the Chinese market by losing the its competitiveness in the Chinese market. This is an outstanding reality in current Canada-China relations. According to statistics given in the report in 2006, Chinese exports to Canada amounted to $34.5 Canadian dollars while Canadian exports to China amounted to $7.7 billion Canadian dollars. Canada has a trade deficit of $26.8 billion Canadian dollars.. The report indicates that while other G-8 countries have government trade agencies that are very active in China and which have strong coordination between them, the Government of Canada trade agencies in China lack a coordinated approach and the institutions have overlapping reduplicated mandates. The federal government and local governments don't work together. Canadian trade officials are relatively ineffective because they lack knowledge of the unique characteristics of the Chinese market and they lack knowledge of the Chinese business culture. Canadian businessmen in China often are not able to get active support from Canadian Government agencies in China. The report recommends that the Government of Canada change this state of affairs. It urges that the Federal Government and local governments, the western Canadian provinces and the eastern provinces all improve the coordination of their efforts, and become more familiar with the workings of the Chinese market and the unique characteristics of China's business culture. In this way they can create the conditions for Canadian enterprises to expand their share of the Chinese market.
The second is that in the report's section on Public Diplomacy there are some views expressed that are very insightful. Compared to the United States and the European Union, Canada lacks brand identification in China. Italy has Verdi, England has Jane Austen, Germany has Beethoven, the United States has Hollywood. They are able to have huge international cultural influence in China. But what does Canada have? One thing is Norman Bethune, another thing is Dashan. But their influence is limited. They cannot represent the brand of Canada's' international culture. On the contrary, Canada has damaged its reputation in China by offering sanctuary to Lai Changxing and other Chinese law breakers. In addition, Canada mainly relies on diplomats to promote Canadian cultural products. This is not an effective way to go about it. There is no Canadian TV series that has achieved any renown in China. Canadian Studies in China is of rather a low quality. The scholars involved in it are academic "second stringers," unlike the "first stringers" who yearn to apply to the Ford Foundation or apply to the programs of other important nations. Because of this, the report recommends that non-governmental agencies promote cultural exchange between the peoples of Canada and China. On this point Canada should learn from China. China already established five Confucius Institutes. But Canada has taken no comparable measures.
Nevertheless even though this report has points of brilliance, it also has some shortcomings. This is primarily due to a lack of understanding of China and a lack of confidence in people of the Chinese race (华人). First of all, the report ascribes the reasons for Canada losing market in China primarily to policies of the Government of China.. For example to manipulation of the Renminbi Yuan currency, hidden subsidies by the Government to state owned enterprises, weak protection of copyrights, unfair treatment of Canadian enterprises in China, etc. This is not fair. In fact, the degree of openness of the Chinese market is the highest of all the countries in the world. There is considerable preferential treatment for foreign enterprises extended. A large portion of China's share of its own market has been eroded by foreign invested enterprises.
Of course, there is fierce competition in the Chinese market. Anyone who wants to share a piece of that cake has to be fearless in battle like the character Shi Xiu in The Water Margin. But the Canadians just talk a lot and wait for someone to hand it to them on a platter. If Canada had the competitive spirit of the South Koreans, the state of affairs would be a lot different. Canada has a certain attitude of pompous self-importance and sees itself as even more "awesome" then the United States. So Canada undertakes a mission to raise up the banner of of promoting Western values. "Democracy, liberty and freedom" are universal values that definitely need to be advocated. But they should not become bats to beat people with at will. China has achieved enormous accomplishments in its development in recent years. The peoples lives have improved very substantially. International society cannot but see this reality. Even Hilary Clinton when she went to China was very careful in broaching matters that touched on these sorts of sensitive issues. She to the extent possible respected the feelings of her hosts. What is astonishing is that on the one hand Prime Minister Harper refused to attend the Olympic Games and regrettably missed an excellent opportunity to improve Canada-China relations, and on the other hand under his breath quietly implores that China set up a mechanism for a strategic partnership dialogue at the level of deputy-minister. This kind of logic is hard to follow.
Secondly, some of the assertions in the report appear to suggest a lack of trust in people of the Chinese race (华人). For example, the report indicates that the Chinese language facility of the diplomats at the Embassy of Canada to China is low. So they have difficulty in connecting with Chinese people. For this reason the Embassy must engage Chinese citizens locally to work at the Embassy. But because these Chinese people must bear loyalty to their nationality they are very likely to "reveal secrets" to the Government of China and thereby act as "spies." This is perhaps a little too obvious. But there is no evidence for it and it ignores the existence of people in the world who have professional ethics and moral integrity. The report recommends that they be replaced by sending more personnel who have Chinese language skills and other relevant specialized expertise from Canada. People cannot help but ask, so many people immigrate to Canada from China, why can't some of these Chinese people with fluent Chinese and relevant expertise be selected to be sent to work in Canada's representative offices in China? Chinese is their mother tongue after all! The report acknowledges that Chinese is Canada's third major language. Canada advocates human rights and multiculturalism. So why does the report not breathe a single word about people of the Chinese race (华人) becoming involved in government. Why is no suggestion along these lines made. This report has reservations about Canada's people of the Chinese race (华人). It it not about doubts their language ability and technical knowledge. It is about doubts about their degree of loyalty. This is regrettable.

Finally the report indicates that Canada needs to expand the sphere of its China engagement beyond the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Offices. That Canada should have more contact with institutions in the Party and Government who actually have "policy-making power." In this way Canada could seek to better defend Canadian interests. From the Canadian point of view this is appears to be valid, but the report also calls for gradually phasing out the development program of the Canadian International Development Agency in China. This is worthy of discussion. The Canadian International Development Agency has been operating in China for 25 years. It has had a positive impact on China's development. It is an important cord binding together the fragile Canada-China relationship. If Canada is not prepared even to expend this small amount of money, then how can they prattle about promoting a strategy for promoting Canada's commercial interests in China.

On the whole this report systematically and in depth expresses the the sense of urgency that Canadian scholars feel about i,proving Canada-China relations. It demonstrates Canadians' "sincerity." But in comparison to Europe and the United States, this report has hard edges. It is aesthetically insufficiently "delicate." It is grating on the outside and and lacking consistency on the inside. What would happen if the Government of Canada fully adopted the strategy of this report to address current Canada-China relations is readily imagined. In fact Canada-China relations would not improve. Nor would the relationship get any worse.

March 19, 2009


Some comments by me:
1. I am very happy and grateful that my report is gaining so much attention and consideration in China.
2. My experience is that when a commentator accuses me of "lacking understanding of China" it is a sign that the Chinese writer has no reasoned argument to respond to what I have said.
3. I hold that the primary reason for Canada's declining position in the China market is due to Canadian factors. No reason why we could not be doing better than the Australians as Canada is a bigger and more populous country slightly closer to China geographically and with much the same demographic and economic characteristics as Australia. Australia's trade deficit with China is 1.2:1, Canada's is 4:1.
4. I have close friendships with Chinese nationals working at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing. I do suggest that we bring more people of Chinese origin into our Foreign Ministry, but I did not mention that we cannot bring in anyone with close family in China due to Canadian security laws that would not allow such people to qualify for security clearance: "family or other close ties to persons living in oppressive or hostile countries" making risk of "acting or being induced to act in a way that constitutes a threat to the security of Canada" by "disclosing or causing to be disclosed in an unauthorized way, classified information." Simply having become a Canadian citizen is not considered sufficient condition for high-level security clearance, sorry to say. So we need to recruit more from Canadians with Taiwan and other non-PRC origins.
5. I do not propose reducing the funding that the Government of Canada allocates for good governance, democratic development and human rights as well as environmental sustainability initiatives in China. I propose that this work cease to be on a government-to-government basis. Britain's Department of International Development has indicated that its programming will cease in China in 2011. Japan cut foreign aid to China in 2005.
6. I am surprised that my argument against Canada adopting a "One China" policy relating to Tibet, Uyghur, Mongolia and Taiwan issues has not been taken up in the Canadian or the Chinese press. I see this as a central content of my report.

Streaming Video of My Short Clip About "Belonging" for TVO "The Agenda" Week of March 22

Streaming Video for "Canada's Relationship with China" Episode of "The Agenda with Steve Paikin" Broadcast March 19

Link for Your Agenda: Canada-China relations (Thurs, March 19)

http://www.tvo.org/cfmx/tvoorg/theagenda/index.cfm?page_id=401&action=viewthread&forum_Thread_id=7864&forum_id=43

I will be a panelist on the TVO program "The Agenda with Steve Paikin" on Thursday starting at 8:00pm. Questions for the panel can be submitted to theagenda@tvo.org or twitter.com/theagenda

The video will be archived for viewing at www.tvo.org/TVO/WebObjects/TVO.woa?video?TAWSP_Dbt_20090313_779453_0

Two More Articles on Canada-Relations

Bill Schiller published an analysis piece in the Toronto Star this morning making reference to my recent report and quoting an interview with entitled "Why is Ottawa still bungling the China file?"

http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/598211

The Chinese Communist Party line on Canada-China relations is given in the Beijing Review this week in Fred Edwards "Canadian Cold Front"
http://www.bjreview.com.cn/world/txt/2009-03/07/content_183202.htm

Slow Boat to Nowhere?

The Toronto Star published my opinion piece on Canada-China relations this morning (http://www.thestar.com/article/597365) under the title: "Sino-Canadian relations on slow boat to nowhere." I am not sure that I entirely agree with the title of the piece (added by the editor). My view is that the boat is indeed too slow but "nowhere" strikes me as something of an overstatement.

I am grateful to the Toronto Star for giving me the chance to present my views to a large readership in Canada's highest circulation newspaper.

Trade Minister Stockwell Day's Comments on My Report

On reflection I feel badly that DFAIT briefed Stockwell Day in a way that gave him a misimpression of the Chinese language abilities of our diplomats in Beijing. There is some degree of linguistic fraud being perpetuated here. I would really urge that DFAIT use the standardized test the "Chinese Proficiency Test" to measure Chinese language competence in future. China would not send diplomats to Canada unable to read English or French.

Fragment of E-mail to a Friend about My Report on Canada-China Relations

My report was finally released last week. It got media spin in the Globe and Mail as being mainly about spying. The other media interviews I have been doing on CBC TV and various radio all follow this line even though I ardently try and steer it toward the actual content of the report (response by interviewers who have a script of questions prepared by a producer being along the lines of "Yes, and going back to the security aspect . . ."). I am a bit despairing about it. Anyway on the upside in less than a week over 700 copies have been downloaded. I wonder who those 700 people are? I have been getting a lot of supportive e-mails from friends in DFAIT, CIDA and other people in Ottawa and China. No negative feedback received to date.