Canada's Liberal Government's Love Affair with China

"The [opposition] Conservatives are calling on the Liberal government to stop making payments to the Asian Infrastructure Bank in light of the ongoing detention and lack of transparency around the trials of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor in China. The party's foreign affairs critic says it's unacceptable that Canada would send about $40 million to the China-led agency."

"Michael Chong says the Liberal government should use all of the tools at its disposal, including withholding the payment, to put pressure on Chinese authorities to stop the trials of the two Michaels and to release them."

"Global Affairs Canada [Department of Foreign Affairs] and Finance Canada have not responded to several requests for information on whether the payment that's due this month has been made and whether Ottawa will withhold the payment."

The Canadian Press

Protesters hold photos of Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, who are being detained by China, outside British Columbia Supreme Court, in Vancouver, March 6, 2019.

 

Canada's relations with China are in the diplomatic dungeon. And two innocent Canadian citizens who just happened to be in China and thus vulnerable to abduction by Chinese authorities are now languishing in a Beijing dungeon, and have been for over two years. This is called 'hostage diplomacy' originating in China for the express purpose of placing other countries on notice that China will not be trifled with; should any country attempt to hold Chinese nationals to face justice for wrongdoing, China will exact its revenge.

Australia is suffering a different kind of destructive diplomacy which the Chinese Communist Party brought to bear to teach the Australian government that in holding China to account for its questionable role in failing to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus that first surfaced in Wuhan, China, there are consequences to be paid. Beijing exacted consequences on Australian wine, coal, agricultural products striking a blow against accountability for the more important purpose of bringing Australia to heel. It failed.

 

But Canada is eager to do the bidding of China, even at a dread cost, because the Liberal Party of Canada believes there is no greater benefit than aspiring to trade with the trade-and-production behemoth. Official Canada in the guise of the Liberal party in power cannot abase itself too much to satisfy Beijing. Covertly. Since the Canadian public has a very low opinion of China's tactics, from interfering in Canadian affairs to infiltrating government and business, to threatening Chinese-Canadians who fail to genuflect to Beijing, to abducting Canadian citizens.

 

This kind of hostage diplomacy is by no means confined only to Canada. In Canada's case it was inspired by the arrest on a U.S. warrant of Huawei Technologies' chief financial officer. An act that Beijing seethes is contrary to international law. Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, the two abducted Canadian citizens accused of 'espionage' were put on trial in the past week; separate closed trials at which no Canadian diplomatic presence was permitted. Their verdicts are yet to be announced.

 

Diplomats from various countries wait outside of the Dandong Intermediate People's Court, where the trial of Canadian businessman Michael Spavor is being held, in Dandong in China's northeast Liaoning province, March 19, 2021.

 

Huawei is vying for involvement in setting up Canada's 5G network. As a member of the Five Eyes intelligence network comprised of Great Britain, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, all of whom have refused Huawei entrance to their 5G upgrades, Canada still has not made a decision, imperilling its position within the Five Eyes, averse to Chinese involvement for obvious reasons of surveillance and espionage at which China is so superbly skilled and experienced.

 

During the trial of  Michael Kovrig on March 22, Canada was supported by the presence outside the courthouse of 26 diplomats from allied Western countries. Shortly afterward Canada joined its allies in sanctions against Chinese officials suspected of involvement in persecution of Uyghurs, the Muslim minority living in Xinjiang province. Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs alerted other countries of risks to their nationals in being detained by China should they have 'disagreements' with the CCP. 

Behind the scenes, covertly, three is a powerful high level lobby group, the Canada China Business Council that is planning to escort its members on a trip to the Chinese cities of Nanjing and Hangzhou on March 24. The CCBC board of directors represents Canada's power elite, its chair is Olivier Desmarais, senior vice-president of Power Corporation of Canada, of the billionaire Desmarais family. Former Prime Minister Jean Chretien, who while prime minister, led a number of business delegations to China, is his grandfather.

There will be involvement in the event by officials from the Shanghai Canadian Consulate along with Chinese government officials. Another partner for the event is CanExports Associations, a grant program under the authority of Global Affairs Canada. This follows on the commitment by the government of Justin Trudeau to fully engage commercially with China. A move expedited when Trudeau chose Dominic Barton as Canada's Ambassador to China, a man with ample experience and connections in China.

He was, in fact, managing director of a global consulting giant. Aside from which he personally has close commercial and financial interests in China. His appointment in September of 2019, not because he is a career diplomat, but because of his extensive insider contacts in China, sent the message to China that Canada values and gives high priority to a prized commercial relationship between the two countries. A relationship that trumps any other issues, inconsequential by comparison.

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board investing taxpayers' money as a Crown corporation, has $56 billion representing 12 percent of their total investments, in China. That would include investments in companies with known links to human rights abuses. So, while condemning Beijing for its human rights abuses against Tibetans and Uyghurs and Christians in China; in particular what Canadian Members of Parliament just two weeks ago passed a resolution for, condemning Chinese 'genocide' against Muslim Uyghurs, official Canada gives its support to what it accuses China of.

Leaving China to understand, wink-wink, that despite the external noise that is so irritating to Beijing, it's business as usual, with Canada. Even though Beijing decided to withhold from Canada agreed-upon shipments of the CanSino vaccine that Canadian technology helped to develop, leaving the Canadian health care system void of desperately-needed vaccines. Another ill-judged, inept and ultimately life-destructive decision, courtesy of Justin Trudeau's love affair with China.

Policemen wearing face masks patrol at the compound of No. 2 Intermediate People's Court in Beijing on March 22, 2021, the day the trial of Canadian Michael Kovrig took place.