Achi news desk-
Beijing is seeking to improve relations with Ottawa after years of diplomatic discomfort, and while it’s unclear whether Canada is ready to play ball, some experts say there are practical reasons to seek better cooperation.
“The strained relationship between our two countries is actually not what we would like to see,” said China’s ambassador to Canada, Kong Feiyu, in a recent interview.
“We can engage in open and constructive dialogue.”
This year has already marked an increase in high-level talks.
Secretary of State Melanie Jolly had a lengthy conversation with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in January, followed by a meeting in February in Germany. They only had a brief conversation in 2023.
At both meetings, China presented its demands for better relations, including “proper recognition,” or Canada accepting responsibility for causing diplomatic tension — as Kong put it, “the responsibility does not lie with China.”
Beijing also wants “mutual respect,” which would include not recognizing an independent Taiwan, and “win-win cooperation,” which would mean fewer restrictions on trade and science.
Relations are already in the gutter, noted Carleton University professor Jeremy Peltiel, who specializes in Canada-China relations.
“The Chinese are saying, ‘You’re not offering anything, so why should we play ball? If you’re just going to show up to visit, then we’re not interested,'” he said.
Plattiel said it would be difficult for Ottawa to find something to work on together that wouldn’t upset the Canadian public or the U.S. government. Both increasingly think of scientific research through security or intellectual property lenses, he said.
Still, Beijing’s priorities can be leveraged into something useful for Canada, he suggested.
One form of “win-win cooperation” could be an agreement to export small quantities of liquefied natural gas. The two countries could brand such a move focused on reducing global carbon emissions by providing China with another alternative to coal.
Other countries have found ways to cooperate without retreating from their values, Palatial argued.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albania became the first leader of his country to visit Beijing in seven years last fall.
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His government persuaded China to lower trade restrictions, Paltiel noted, even as it continued to raise human rights issues with Beijing and work with the U.S. on nuclear submarines.
Around the same time, Jolie vowed to take on “pragmatic diplomacy” and engage more with countries with which Canada has disputes.
Her office said this approach was demonstrated in her March visit to Saudi Arabia.
Jolie has not signaled whether a visit to China is on the horizon.
The China Business Council of Canada says the Canadian industry is losing ground to its American, Australian and European competitors, who are taking Canada’s market share in China for products such as pet food.
A survey conducted among 143 Canadian businesses last fall found that “public and corporate sentiments toward China remain a formidable obstacle.”
Some 58% said the risk of arbitrary detention of Chinese staff still negatively affects their businesses, more than five years after China detained Canadians Michael Kubrig and Michael Spavor following the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver.
This is a decrease from the 70% that marked the issue in 2021.
Vina Ndjibulela, vice-president of research at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and Kobrig’s lead advocate during his arrest, said China took a more assertive stance on the world stage while the two Michaels were arrested, forcing a rethink in Washington. .
The US has limited its involvement in human rights and trade issues. China’s growing trade with Russia despite its invasion of Ukraine and Beijing’s use of reconnaissance balloons proved an additional provocation in the years that followed.
But in mid-2023, the Biden administration held high-level meetings with Chinese counterparts in hopes of getting relations back on track, a trend replicated by European allies and Australia.
It’s fine if Canada doesn’t move aggressively to do the same, Najibula said.
She noted that despite the chill in relations and ongoing nervousness — such as Canada’s concern over alleged interference in the recent federal election — Canada’s bilateral trade with China has actually grown in recent years.
“We need to get out of this frame of needing to curry favor with China to be able to have a functional relationship,” she said.
“The state of our relationship with China is what it should be, and it is moving in the direction of being more functional to serve our interests.”
There should be some engagement with China, Najibullah said, on security issues in the Indo-Pacific region and on transnational issues such as stopping the flow of fentanyl.
At the same time, she said Ottawa should call out Chinese actions in the South China Sea that undermine the Philippines’ international borders and continue to support Taiwan.
China sees the democracy as a breakaway region that should be under Beijing’s rule, and Kong said Ottawa was violating a long-standing policy not to influence China’s position on Taiwan.
Nadjibulla called 2023 a “landmark year for Canada-Taiwan relations” with a series of agreements signed on topics ranging from public health to investment.
She said Canada’s presidency this year of the Pacific Rim trade bloc could prompt Ottawa to help Taiwan join that group.
“My hope is that as we stabilize relations with (Beijing) we don’t lose sight of the fact that we need to continue and deepen engagement with Taiwan, and we don’t allow any kind of pressure or self-censorship to enter into the equation,” she added.
Liberal MP John McKay argued that Canada should go further.
“Our nation has often failed to take a firm stand on this issue, choosing instead to take a cautious approach of not offending the Chinese government,” he said at a conference held last month by the Institute for Peace and Diplomacy.
“This reluctance to fully embrace Taiwan’s ambitions not only undermines our values, but also sends a message that we are willing to compromise principles for the sake of economic interests.”
The federal posture has not stopped Beijing from flirting with other levels of government as it seeks to rebuild its relationships in Canada.
In a recent interview with La Presse Canadienne, China’s Consul General in Montreal, Yuming Dai, said that Quebec Prime Minister Francois Lego would always be welcome to visit Beijing.
“China’s door always remains open,” he wrote in an email interview in French.
