Beijing's Designs...

"China is always willing to work together with the Canadian side, by following the principle of mutual respect, seeking common ground while reserving differences."

"But China also opposes any country using China as a bargaining chip when it deals with other countries." 

"But of course, to reach such an agreement [free trade deal], both sides need to work in the same direction toward the same goal."

"When I was having conversations with Canadian friends from all walks of life, all sectors here in Canada, I heard a strong voice that China and Canada should strengthen co-operation."

"But unfortunately, at the same time, oftentimes we see some disrespect and smearing and attacking of China's core interests."

"China firmly supports Canada’s sovereignty and territorial integrity just as China supports that of all the other countries, but of course we hope this kind of respect is mutual."

China's Ambassador to Canada, Wang Di

"I hope that companies between our two countries can enjoy a transparent, open and non-discriminatory business environment," says China's Ambassador to Canada Di Wang. Photo by Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press/

China's core interests are wound up in its approach to world dominance in trade and achieving the status of a world power equal to that of the United States of America. Everything that Beijing does is calibrated to achieve those ends. And China is relentless in its self-actualizing mission of achieving its divinely inspired destiny as a super-hegemon. Its links throughout the world -- in North America, Europe, Australia, Africa, the Middle East are geared to creating a type of dependence beginning with trade and ending with dominating world markets in chemicals and organic matter critical to new-age technology.

 

China first ingratiates itself internationally, then demands respect and collaboration as it paternally guides countries which have been infiltrated by expatriate mainland Chinese through cultural indoctrination to instill admiration for the Peoples Republic of China. Its intelligence agents are everywhere, its social media sites dominate markets, its modern version of the Yellow Silk Road -- Belt and Road Initiative through investment and critical domestic infrastructure loans throughout the world have created dependencies inimical to the countries involved, becoming indebted beyond their ability to persevere.

 

And nothing seems to stop China's subterfuges and self-entitlements in maneuvering its operatives subtly into local culture and positions of social and academic, scientific and political advantage to Beijing, where infiltrated operatives deliver what they glean to their sponsors. Trade secrets, scientific advances, political positions, military situations, are all grist for the Beijing mill of conquest and control. As for respecting other countries' borders, Chinese interest in the Arctic to challenge Canada's North West Passage in the interests of vast mineral resources' acquisition is another story.

 

The government of Canada is warned by China's ambassador against using it as "bargaining chip" in its trade negotiations with the United States, even while holding out the carrot of pursuing a bilateral free trade agreement as long as Canada remove barriers to Chinese investment.Those barriers are there for a specific reason, that Canada has no interest in having its natural resources under the control of a foreign government which has on many occasions displayed its acquisition agenda to the detriment of Canada's national interests. 

Diplomatic relations between Ottawa and Beijing which is at present Canada's second-largest trading partner have cooled considerably beginning when Huawei Technologies Co. executive Meng Wanzhou had been detained in 2018 at the request of the U.S. through an extradition warrant at Vancouver's International Airport which led to China arresting two Canadian businessmen then in China, as retaliatory hostages in claims of espionage charged against the two. More recently four Canadians were sentenced to death on charges of drug smuggling in China. The dual-citizens were executed over their presumed 'drug crimes'.

 

In August, Canada announced its intention to match the U.S. higher tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, aluminum and steel, prompting China to enact retaliatory measures against Canadian canola, pork and seafood, impacting Western Canada. Chinese investment in critical mineral projects have been curbed in Canada, Huawei has been banned from fifth-generation wireless networks, and TikTok's parent, ByteDance Ltd. was ordered to close its Canadian subsidiary.

 

China, however, is consumed with its energy needs to power its growing technology functionality and Canada is more than willing to sell energy to China in the form of oil exports and liquefied natural gas.  As for claims by security intelligence officials in Canada that China, along with countries that include India and Russia, may attempt interference in the federal election now  underway in Canada, Mr. Wang characterized them as "completely unjustified, groundless accusations", despite ample evidence in the not-so-distant past that Beijing has done just that.

"At the core of the Chinese strategy is asymmetric interdependence that allows for its weaponization of trading relations … on other countries that cannot easily pivot away from a reliance on Chinese sources."

"By pre-emptively diversifying exports of easily substitutable products that are vulnerable to asymmetrical transactions, we could reduce the leverage that adversaries might otherwise seek to exploit."

University of Toronto political scientist Lynette Ong

China's Ambassador-designate to Canada Wang Di presents his credentials to Governor General Mary Simon during ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday, June 26, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick