IN CONFRONTING BEIJING, LOOK TO HONG KONG
The Chinese Communist Party views Canada as a pushover,
Fenella Sung is a translator, writer, broadcaster and intercultural communicator. She is the founding convener of Canadian Friends of Hong Kong, a network conducive to discussion of issues concerning Canada and Hong Kong. Born in Hong Kong, she moved to Canada in 1991. In her practice as a translator and legal interpreter, she has been involved in exchange and development projects between Canada and China. This is part of a continuing series.
When Michael Kovrig, former diplomat and conflict resolution consultant, was snatched in China on Dec. 10, 2018, an inevitable question must have crossed his mind: “What have I done wrong?” The question probably persisted when he was interrogated for countless hours by the authoritarian regime's security agency for espionage, or when he shielded his eyes from the 24-hour light in his solitary cell over the last two years.
The same question would have also run through the mind of Spavor, the other Michael, who was working in China when arrested on the same day as Kovrig. A businessman and among the few to travel extensively in North Korea, Spavor was also charged by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) with spying.
Both are tit-for-tat victims after the RCMP arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou just days before their capture. Meng, on bail in Canada fighting her extradition, is accused in the United States of bank fraud violating sanctions against Iran. The plight of the two Michaels mirrors that of Kevin and Julia Garratt, Christian aid workers who lived and worked in China for more than 30 years. They were dumbfounded and repeatedly asked “Investigated for what?” when arrested and accused by the CCP of spying and stealing military secrets in 2014. The couple realized, only after their release, that they were political pawns because Canada had arrested British Columbian businessman Su Bin, who was accused of conspiring with the Chinese military to steal and sell secret U.S. military data to China.
These cases happened not because of anything Kovrig, Spavor or the Garratts had done. Instead, they are caught in Ottawa's decades-long toxic relationship with Beijing, by way of which the CCP arbitrarily abducts, intimidates and castigates Canadians and Canadian businesses without serious consequences. As economist Duanjie Chen puts it, “Canada's bilateral relationship has long operated under the shadow of Chinese bullying.”
The CCP regime sees Canada as a pushover, manipulating our governments, people and resources to its advantage. Its wilful and deliberate actions are intended to harm, induce fear, and force us into submission.
So it is all about the CCP, not about us. This is why, with the impasse of the two Michaels unresolved, we have to get our head out of the sand and look around for help. Hong Kong, considered Asia's New Berlin, stands out as a role model.
Canada and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region share the same birthday: July 1. Michael Kovrig worked and lived in Hong Kong from 2014 to 2016, alongside more than 300,000 Canadians residing there. Most importantly, Canada and Hong Kong used to share common values, including the rule of law, freedom of thought and expression, civil liberties and a free press. However, these common values have been meticulously undermined by the CCP at an accelerating rate since 2012.
In defiance, Hong Kongers rose up to protect their long-cherished way of life. Large-scale rallies and protests in 2014 preceded the 79-day “Umbrella Movement,” in which hundreds of thousands of protesters occupied the city core and financial hubs. In 2019 and 2020, another wave of massive protests, known as the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement, took place, with millions in the streets. Jen Kirby of Vox.com writes, “What began as a targeted protest against a controversial extradition bill has morphed into a battle for the future of Hong Kong. Protesters are not just fighting their local government. They're challenging one of the most powerful countries on Earth: China.” Currently underway in Hong Kong is a David-and- Goliath struggle, dwarfing any efforts by Canada, Australia or any other country in the world trying to take on the CCP.
This past summer, Beijing unanimously passed a new national security law without consultation, bypassing Hong Kong's local legislature. Under the law, anything could be interpreted as a threat to national security and it can apply to anyone regardless of nationality or location — Canadians included.
As it turns out, however, by claiming global jurisdiction and casting the national security net so wide, the CCP has helped create an international coalition that works against it.
An attack on one is an attack on all. What happens to Hong Kong today could happen in Australia tomorrow, and it could be Canada's turn next week. We need to stand firm and break away from the toxic relationship with Beijing. We have to support Hong Kong, Australia and others trying to thwart the CCP's aggression. If not, when the sharp claws of the panda come for us, there may be no one left to speak for us.