A Tempest in China's Teapot

"A father's love is like the mountains, towering and strong."
"I can't be there with you [celebrating your birthday] eating the food you make, listening to you chit-chat, touching your wrinkles or kissing your smiling face."
"And I can't be there to take your critical advice. Remember, you owe me this."
"Please make it up after I get back home."
Meng Wanzhou, CFO, Huawei 

Meng Wanzhou’s birthday wishes to her father RenZhengfei.Twitter

"The reason we [daughter Meng Wanzhou and himself] are not close is that when she was little, I joined the military. For 22 months out of a year, I couldn't be with my kids."
"She [daughter Meng Wanzhou] has always been a manager and a manager is good at managing a wide span of issues."
"But for a leader, you need to have a strong vertical ability. You need to be able to see things happening in ten or twenty years..."
"She won't be a successor [to himself at Huawei] because she doesn't have this background."
Ren Zhengfel, head, Huawei Technologies, China

Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein/AP

Meng Wanzhou languishes in her Vancouver luxury mansion,  held on bail conditions requiring that she remain in Vancouver awaiting extradition to the United States on conspiracy charges to help Iran evade U.S. sanctions. She wears a fairly conspicuous ankle bracelet as part of her bail conditions. Her arrest in December of 2018 honouring an extradition treaty between Canada and the U.S. on a warrant by U.S. officials has infuriated China which has issued threats and slanderous accusations against Canada. In retaliation, Beijing ordered the arrest of two Canadian doing business in China, accusing them of espionage, plotting against China. Another Canadian, facing a 15-year prison sentence for ostensibly smuggling drugs out of China, was summarily given a death sentence instead.

Beijing hasn't stopped there. It went on in quick-step order, to cancel imports of Canadian canola, pork and other agricultural products. China plays hardball, as its idea of diplomatically engaging with other countries when Beijing feels affronted over assaults on China's dignity in reflection of its elite status as a world power, a trading colossus, an influential investor and a world-class bully whose relations with its neighbours has gone from frosty to threatening as it sweeps up land, sea and airspace that they all have claims to, for its very own.

"The only language China understands is one of firmness."
"Now that we have seen the dark side of China and how they can punish you if you do something they don't like or if you don't obey their diktats, I think it's appropriate for us to reassess our engagement strategy."
"I know that Michael Kovrig is exasperated. Every time there is a consular visit, he says, ‘When are you going to get me out?’ It’s a boring life, being in jail, when you know you have not done anything that is reprehensible."
Guy Saint-Jacques, Canadian ambassador to Beijing, 2012 to 2016

"I really wonder whether someone who is on the record as saying he's 'bullish' about China's strongman leader [Xi Jinping] is really the right person to interpret China for the government of Canada."
"What we need is a revised China policy, one that says we are not going to relentlessly build the relationship. In fact, that's actually a little dangerous for us."
David Mulroney, Canadian ambassador to China, 2009 to 2012

"The Canadian government's policy since December of last year has not delivered the desired result."
"In fact, our lack of response I think is taken by the Chinese authorities as passive consent for their gross violations of normal diplomatic practice."
Charles Burton, professor, Brock University, former Canadian diplomat in Beijing

In this file photo taken on March 6, 2019, Louis Huang of Vancouver Freedom and Democracy for China holds photos of Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, who are being detained by China, in Vancouve, Canada - Canada on May 16 2019, demanded that China promptly release Spavor and Kovrig, who were formally arrested following months of detention on national security grounds, amid rising tensions between the two nations.Jason Redmond / AFP

Canada's newly appointed ambassador to China, Dominic Barton, was among Canadian consular officials permitted finally to visit Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, two unfortunate Canadians whose lives were suddenly suspended when Beijing decided they would make excellent candidates to be charged with the crime of espionage against China. As a 'balance' to the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. Ambassador Barton presumably was disinterested in visiting Robert Schellenberg the drug smuggler on death row. He can, it would seem, fend for himself.

There is much at stake for Canada in this new appointment. Ambassador Barton has long been familiar to China having worked with powerful Chinese business people and politicians with a consulting firm "almost sycophantic" -- according to former Ambassador Mulroney -- toward the Communist leadership. Ambassador Barton, like yet another appointed Canadian, John McCallum, fully sympathizes with China. Ambassador McCallum to the extent that he advised the government of Canada to simply relax its extradition agreement with the U.S. in Ms.Wanzhou's case.

Both have been fond of ingratiating themselves with Chinese authorities, to the extent, yes, of being sycophantic. The large economic issue of solving the impasse with the billions of dollars in trade down the drain as a particularly China-centric mode of punishment looms before Ambassador Barton as a vital goal in fulfilling his mandate. He was, after all, chosen for this diplomatic mission based on his insider status as a Canadian in China with outstanding connections.

Formerly, in attempting to deal with China's rage and its imposition of penalties by targeting vulnerable Canadian to victimize as a signal to the government of Canada that China can only be appeased if a grovelling apology and the release of Meng Wanzhou takes place, Canada has politely objected to Beijing's venomous charges and abandonment of diplomatic and civil exchanges. The World Trade Organization received a complaint about the canola issue, and Canada called on its fellow democracies to voice an opinion over Beijing's uncordial manner, all to no avail.

Without exception, former Canadian diplomats with experience in China have declared Ottawa's reaction under Justin Trudeau to Bejing's toxic behaviour to be worthless. That a more strenuous and principled reaction must be adopted, including boycotting the upcoming Olympics in China, withdraw investment from the Asian Infrastructure Bank, expelling Chinese diplomats who have exerted undue influence in Canada, including intimidation of Chinese-Canadians who manifest a stronger loyalty to Canada than to China, and who support the Hong Kong protesters.

Turnisa Matsedik-Qira, of the Vancouver Uyghur Association, demonstrates against China’s treatment of Uyghurs while holding a photo of detained Canadians Michael Spavor (L) and Michael Kovrig outside a court appearance for Huawei Chief Financial Officer, Meng Wanzhou at the British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver on May 8, 2019. Jason Redmond / AFP