My Views on Hong Kong Protests Broadcast on CBC "The Current" This Morning

"Hong Kong demonstrators are angry and continue to demand free elections. New leader Xi Jinping believes in strong leadership and is determined to preserve China's political system. Protesters says it will take more than tear gas to back down. So will Beijing compromise or crack down?"

http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2014/09/30/hong-kong-pro-democracy-protests-demand-beijiing-to-reconsider-free-and-open-elections/

My interview on RCI "Leader may cancel China tour over couple’s arrest"

Leader may cancel China tour over couple’s arrest


This is a long radio interview with me, broadcast on Radio Canada International, that reflects my views on a number of aspects of Canada-China relations
There is also a version in Mandarin: http://www.rcinet.ca/zh/2014/09/15/24768/?-???????????????????/

Two Chinese reporters banned from Prime Minister's Arctic trip: video

The Prime Minister's Office will not allow two Chinese reporters to join a trip to the arctic.

Two Chinese reporters banned from arctic trip : Prime time : SunNews Video Gallery


Pat Bolland's interview with me broadcast on SUN TV on August 19, 2014.

My Comments on Chinese Ambassador's Op-Ed Relating to the Garratts' Incarceration

Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohui has published an Op-Ed in the Globe and Mail: "China and Canada: We can manage our differences" http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/china-and-canada-we-can-manage-our-differences/article20074157/

Commentary about it is given here: "Chinese envoy offers olive branch on Garratts’ detention in Globe letter"
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/chinese-envoy-offers-olive-branch-on-garratts-detention-in-globe-letter/article20073652/

My own Op-Ed about the Garratts incarceration "Canadians detained in China are pawns in a bigger geopolitical game" can be read at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/canadians-detained-in-china-are-pawns-in-a-bigger-geopolitical-game/article19946529/


My take on it: The Ambassador's Op-Ed follows the standard messaging of the Chinese Foreign Ministry to Western nations. Our strongly held concerns about China's human rights record, Chinese state espionage, and China's support for repressive regimes in the Third World are pejoratively dismissed as "bumps and grumps."  The notion that we should "manage our differences" really implies that we should set these serious concerns aside and focus on "practical cooperation" in trade and investment.  The reference to "face up to individual cases and properly handle our differences" almost certainly refers to the Ambassador's concern about the Garratts' arrest on blatantly trumped up charges of espionage as he puts it "kidnapping our bilateral relations."

To my understanding the Garratts are being held by the Ministry of State Security.  The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has little influence over the much more powerful Ministry of State Security.  The Ambassador will be held to account by his Government if under his ambassadorship Canada-China relations flounder.  So I would imagine that Mr. Luo would be much relieved if the Garratts were deported back to Canada.  I fervently hope that this will happen.  But I see this Op-Ed as a defensive public plea in the face of the Embassy's considerable concern over what they are hearing from DFATD about the potential impact of the Garratts continuing incarceration on Canada's China policy.

My Op-Ed in today's Globe and Mail: Canadians detained in China are pawns in a bigger geopolitical game - The Globe and Mail

Canadians detained in China are pawns in a bigger geopolitical game - The Globe and Mail

Purge of Xu Caihou is Hugely Significant

Purge of Xu Caihou is hugely significant: 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-28084886

It is about serious factional issues, not just his massive receiving of bribes. The latter defines many, many (most) serious officials, but it is Mr. Xu that is being purged.

25 Years Ago: It's Not That I Didn't Understand

25 years ago, its not that I didn't understand, but then came the 35th day of May. 

RIP Tiananmen martyrs, young idealistic lives caught terribly short.

What Beijing learned from Tiananmen: Democracy isn’t needed for prosperity

Article in Globe and Mail by Charlie Foran citing my memories "What Beijing learned from Tiananmen: Democracy isn’t needed for prosperity" http://fw.to/yzfR4KZ

John Ivison: To the governor-general, Genghis Khan isn’t so much a genocidal warlord as a ‘purveyor of knowledge and enlightenment’ | National Post

John Ivison: To the governor-general, Genghis Khan isn’t so much a genocidal warlord as a ‘purveyor of knowledge and enlightenment’ | National Post



Some one needs to have a serious chat with whoever it was in DFATD who put these appallingly misconceived words into the Vice-Regal mouth.

The new Sanjiang Church in Wenzhou has just been completely demolished.

The new Sanjiang Church in Wenzhou has just been completely demolished.  I am simply appalled.

My letter to The Toronto Star about the Statement by Liu Jianhui and Zheng Yaru Published this Morning

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/04/26/we_will_never_recover_from_this_awful_tragedy.html


To:  Kevin Cavanagh  AUncles@thestar.ca  Lucy Burton  Jianhui Liu
Dear Alison,

Thank you very much for publishing the translation.  The photo of Liu Qian as a child on the mountain on the front page is lovely.

I just spoke with Liu Jianhui and mentioned the Star's generous offer to make a donation to a charity in the name of Liu Jianhui and Zheng Yaru to a charity.  Well I was very touched to learn that he and his wife had taken some of the money that the Chinese community in Toronto has collected for them and given it to the Sick Kids Hospital, which they could see out of the window of their room in the Doubletree Hotel where they stayed during the trial.  I had told them when I was up in their hotel room about how grateful I was to that hospital because when she was a young teenager my daughter Lucy had had 2 operations of 13 and 4 hours respectively to address a serious heart defect there.  Mr. Liu has asked that the Star's donation also go to Sick Kids.

Hope you are having a good weekend.

Charles



___
905-329-9477
Skype: cburton002
http://charlesburton.webplus.net

Xi Jinping Moves to Centralize His Personal Power

NYTimes: National Security Commission Meets for the First Time: 

http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/16/national-security-commission-meets-for-the-first-time/

Victim Impact Statement by Liu Jianhui and Zheng Yaru

https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151981466260825&set=a.10150207235885825.306134.592695824&type=1&theater

Justice Finally Done in the Tragic Death of Liu Qian

Today Brian Dickson has been found guilty of first degree murder in the death of Liu Qian.

Justice has been done, but I feel only deep, deep sadness at her terrible loss.

RIP, Necole.

My Thought on Trial for man accused of York University webcam murder starts this week

This trial will be the focus of much attention in China.  I am ardently hoping that the Canadian justice system will function in a way that will do Canada credit.


http://www.torontosun.com/2014/03/15/trial-for-man-accused-of-york-university-webcam-murder-starts-this-week#disqus_thread

My Op-Ed in this morning's Globe and Mail China’s leadership entrenches – this cannot bode well

China’s leadership entrenches – this cannot bode well - The Globe and Mail



Unfortunately, the signal importance to these minorities of language, culture and religious rights evidently escapes China’s leadership. For many Uyghurs and Tibetans, for instance, the fight for symbols that recognize their identity – their own flag, a seat at the United Nations, a free media that tells their people’s story in their own terms, their own schools and political leaders – is a paramount concern. It is the stuff of their souls, for which some will resort to terror and violence, even laying down their lives in horrible ways. 

.  .  .

Wednesday’s report suggests China will step up its struggle for regional power and influence against Japan in the coming year. The government indicated ominously that “we will safeguard the victory of World War II and the postwar international order, and will not allow anyone to reverse the course of history.” Combined with a promise to increase the military’s budget by 12.2 per cent, well in excess of anticipated gross domestic product growth, this cannot bode well.

My Take on the Terrible Incident at the Kunming Railway Station

Mercifully, none of our family and friends were at the Kunming Railway Station that terrible evening.

Yesterday, I was asked to make a few comments for the Toronto Mandarin TV News.  I judge that the questions the reporter asked me shed more light on the issue than my answers.  For example, I was asked if I thought that the reason the incident occurred in Kunming is because so many Uyghurs travel to Yunnan to buy drugs.  Another was did I think that the reason that the Uyghurs engage in terrorism is because they want are an independent East Turkestan so they can keep all the wealth generated by natural resource extraction in Xinjiang for themselves.  So is it about greed?  And there was the implication that all Uyghurs, coordinated by Rebiya Kadeer with U.S. support, foment terrorism to further their cause.

But I see the Han-Uyghur conflict as fundamentally a problem of incompatible and evidently  irreconcilable narratives of history about the same piece of territory.  Unfortunately, the signal importance of language, culture and religion to the Uyghurs largely escapes most Han people.  But the fight for recognition of their identity, the symbols of their own flag, a seat for their nation at the U.N., a free media in the Uyghur language that tells their people's story in their own terms, and of course their own schools and political leaders is to many Uyghurs their paramount abiding concern, because it is the stuff of their souls.  And for this some will resort to terror and violence and even lay down their lives.

I wish that I could see some path to a resolution of all this.  But, regrettably, I cannot.

Report in Chinese that Zhou Yongkang has been expelled from the Party

快讯：中共中央下发《关于周永康涉嫌严重违纪的通报》，通报指出，周永康在担任中国石油天然气集团、国土资源部、四川省委书记领导职务和中央政法委书记期间，严重违反党的纪律，滥用职权，犯有严重错误、负有重大责任；利用职权为他人谋利，直接和通过家人收受他人巨额贿赂；利用职权、其子周某利用其的职务影响为他人谋利，其家人收受他人巨额财物；与多名女性发生或保持不正当性关系；违反组织人事纪律，造成严重后果；涉嫌侵吞巨额国有资产；包庇和纵容黑社会团伙犯罪。周永康的行为造成了严重后果，极大损害了党和国家声誉，在国内外产生了非常恶劣的影响，给党和人民的事业造成了重大损失。中共中央政治局会议决定，根据《中国共产党章程》、《中国共产党纪律处分条例》的有关规定，给予周永康开除党籍处分，待党的十八届四中全会予以追认

It has not been denied by the Chinese MFA yet

Canada’s Ambassador for Religious Freedom Meets with His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Canada’s Ambassador for Religious Freedom Meets with His Holiness the Dalai Lama

"Canadians are concerned about the restrictions placed by the Chinese government on the right to freedom of religion of Tibetan Buddhists, especially on their ability to worship in peace. We are also concerned by the self-immolations by some Tibetans.

Canada has consistently advocated substantive and meaningful dialogue between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama or his representatives to work toward a resolution of outstanding issues that is acceptable to both sides."

On China's Refusal to Endorse the UN Report on Human Rights in the DPRK

I find this report on  China-Korea and human rights' analysis highly convincing:
From The Globe and Mail:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/world-insider/why-wont-china-call-out-north-korea-on-charge-of-nazi-like-abuses/article16933237/