Making Friends and Influencing Governments

"In two years, Beijing has grown its [diplomatic] network by five diplomatic posts ... it's ascent to the top spot has been rapid. In 2016, China was in third place behind the U.S. and France, and by 2017 it had moved to second place ahead of France."
"At the same time, the United States' diplomatic presence has been marginally eroded since 2017."
"With a hollowed-out Statement Department -- only 73 percent of key positions are filled ... American diplomacy is looking rudderless."
Bonnie Bley, Lowy Institute research fellow, Australian think tank report

Chinese President Xi Jinping chats with President Donald Trump during a welcome ceremony in Beijing on Nov. 9, 2017.

AP Photo | Andy Wong

Beijing has focused on growing its presence around the world as a nascent Big Power, striving to make contacts in the proverbial expression of 'making friends and influencing people' to give it the leg up it wants to challenge the United States -- or even replace its status as the world's premier power. Its ambitious, costly and widespread "One Belt, One Road" initiative whereby it has invested enormous sums in various countries around the world to emphasize trade and communications to enable it to impress, influence and gain global support in its aspirations for greater economic and political and military power has seen its rapid rise.

Beijing's increase in its diplomatic missions around the world have a definite purpose, to support political relationships and economic cooperation. China and Xi Jinping have a way to go yet before they can present China as having the same global respect and admiration that the United States enjoys, however. China remains "a distant second by  wide margin" to the United States in the global esteem in which the U.S. remains; held as the most popular geographic political-trade-social locus for other countries to maintain embassies and consulates.

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 Vancouver on March 6, 2019. Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images

In Canada's experience, Chinese envoys have been uncircumspectly intrusive in Canadian affairs. In the affair of the arrest of Huawei's CFO on an extradition warrant by the U.S. through a Canada-U.S. extradition agreement, two Canadians were arrested in China on trumped-up charges of espionage, resulting in China's former ambassador to Canada accusing Canada of racism and white supremacist arrogance, flouting the international rule of law. Now, the newly accredited, Cong Peiwu, on a visit to see Meng Wanzhou, stated that Beijing "will continue to urge the Canadian side to correct its mistake".

"I am writing to express my concern regarding the diplomatic relationship between Canada and China falling into the bottom of a cold valley."
"[The definition of] endangering national security [used as a threatening charge by the Chinese Communist Party, was being applied to human rights activists, dissidents and people] lighting a candle and showing empathy to the victims of the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen event."
"When they're [Canadian government] dealing with China they should be aware that Canadians concerned about human rights could be treated this way. That's the message I would like to tell."
"I asked [on a trip to Shanghai where he and his wife were apprehended] if I could go to Hong Kong instead. They said, no, I have to go back where [he] came from [Canada].  Certainly I didn't endanger national security of PRC (Peoples' Republic of China]."
"I attended [memorial events for Tiananmen Square] every year. It's my commitment to remember the people who died."
"Eventually they [Chinese officials] said, 'You coming here is considered endangering the national security."
Richard Lee, former provincial Liberal member of Parliament, Burnaby, B.C.

Richard Lee says he suspects his 2015 detention in Shanghai was related to his participation in Tiananmen massacre commemorative events.Douglas Quan/National Post

As a 30th wedding anniversary the former member of the B.C. legislature and his wife took a trip to Shanghai in 2015. At Shanghai's Pudong International Airport they were sequestered by Chinese officials, separated, Mr. Lee's phones confiscated and he was interrogated for hours. Finally his Chinese travel visa was cancelled, and both he and his wife were barred from entry to China. Predating his detention and interrogation at the Shanghai airport, Mr. Lee was aware he was under China's scrutiny as a malefactor.

At a social event Liu Fei, the former Chinese consul general in Vancouver informed him "that elected officials should not participate" in commemorative events that affect China, such as the Tiananmen Square memorials. After he and his wife landed in Shanghai he explained, his name was called, he was escorted to a booth, then into a room with bright lights to which his wife was excluded. His interrogators asked for his Blackberry password. "I didn't want to give out the password. I recall I actually -- I put in the password under their close watch."

When he asked why he and his wife were being detained and not being permitted to go forward to their planned destination, the response was "You know what you have done." Some of his own Liberal colleagues in the British Columbia legislature had informed him the Chinese consul general was "not happy" about his attendance at Tiananmen-related events. "It's an open secret -- [Canadian] politicians receiving warnings from the [Chinese] consul-general [in Vancouver]."

As for returning to his homeland for a visit any time soon; it's not likely. "But it's OK. I can live with it", he said.

The Chinese government has denied the existence of re-education camps, but experts say as many as 1.8 million Uighurs are or have been in them over the last three years. (Thomas Peter/Reuters)