Trudeau: The next generation
BEIJING — If the view in China is that Justin Trudeau is walking in his father’s footsteps, the prime minister is embracing it, telling businesspeople Tuesday he’s looking to see how the “next generation of Trudeau could have an impact.”
The first event of his marathon, week-long visit to China made it abundantly clear Pierre Trudeau, who established diplomatic relations with the country in 1970, is still a beloved figure.
At a question-and-answer session with the China Entrepreneur Club, Jack Ma, founder of the tech company Alibaba Group and one of Asia’s wealthiest people, paid “special thanks” to the elder Trudeau during a love-in for his son.
“Our task today is not to establish friendship and trust. Pierre Trudeau and his generation has already established this. Instead our job is to fully integrate his friendship and trust into our co-operation,” Ma said.
Responses from the audience of businesspeople included observations like, “Now that the son is here, he can contribute,” “Your father’s contribution will not be forgotten,” and “You can even surpass your father’s legacy.”
“In my very first trip to China I was just a young boy and I was travelling with my father when he was prime minister, and that’s why it is so important to me that on this first trip to China as prime minister I bring my daughter Ella- Grace,” Trudeau told the crowd.
“The friendship and the openness toward China that my father taught me, I’m certainly hoping to pass on not only to my children but to generations of Canadians in the future.”
Canada was several years ahead of the U.S. in recognizing the People’s Republic of China — Pierre Trudeau told the Ottawa Citizen as early as December 1968 he wanted “a new China policy” and years of alienation “should not bind us forever.”
The younger Trudeau will hope to establish some real cachet of his own, via a combination of his international celebrity (he was greeted by a barrage of smartphone photography from the crowd) and, he hopes, progress on key economic files.
“Any economic strategy that ignores China or that treats that valuable relationship as anything less than critically important is not just short-sighted, it’s irresponsible,” he said.
“We know that a stronger and deeper relationship with China is essential if we are to achieve our own objectives.”
But Trudeau also said China “should be able to ask for advice and take suggestions about how to be better” — a carefully worded message, given Beijing’s history of rebuking the appearance of condescension from foreign dignitaries.
Charles Burton, a China expert at Brock University, cautioned that “residual good feelings” about the relationship’s past won’t be enough to overcome any current difficulties, and the appearance of too much friendliness with China could pose domestic issues for Trudeau.
The Canadian public is hesitant to embrace China, partly because of concerns about foreign ownership of companies, human rights and intellectual property rights.
During Tuesday’s event, Trudeau mentioned his commitment to defending the last two, as well as expressing untempered support for trade and investment.
There remains the issues of how to handle Chinese incursions in the South China Sea and consular cases including that of Canadian Kevin Garratt, who remains in a Chinese prison after being arrested for espionage, as well as the continuing dispute over canola.
A Sept. 1 deadline will see new restrictions come into force that will prevent Canadian canola exporters from accessing their No. 1 customer, the Chinese market.
Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland said in Beijing Tuesday she was still working hard on the issue and she understands the “absolute importance” of the two countries’ trade relationship, which includes billions of dollars worth of canola shipments.
Trudeau is in China for highlevel meetings and the Group of 20 meeting, which gets underway later this week, but the canola dispute is expected to dominate the trade agenda. Beijing has given Canada until Thursday to cut the level of foreign material in its deliveries by more than half.
Also Tuesday, Trudeau would not confirm Chinese reports Canada is formally applying for membership in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, only saying Canada views the possibility favourably. He is scheduled to meet Premier Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping Wednesday.