A CALL FOR DEEPER TIES
Chinese envoy talks trade, detainees
• China's ambassador to Canada sought to reinforce the communist state's growing economic might and rising political influence on Tuesday, highlighting Canada's dependency on China as relations between the two countries remain frosty.
In a wide-ranging talk with the Montreal Council of Foreign Affairs, ambassador Cong Peiwu touted what he called an “independent foreign policy of peace” currently being pursued by the Communist Party of China, while also chastising Western media for characterizing China's foreign policy as running counter to international law.
The comments by Cong were largely in support of efforts to deepen economic ties between Canada and China, but could be viewed as veiled threats in the context of the ongoing political spat between the two.
The hour-long discussion was among the few public remarks the ambassador has made since two Canadian citizens detained in China — Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor — were hastily tried by Chinese courts in late March.
In an event titled China-canada Relations: Which Path Forward?” Cong said it was vital that the two nations have “a correct understanding of each other” and said that “communication is better than confrontation.”
In a fashion typical of Chinese officials, Cong laid out an image of China that varies greatly from that of Western accounts, saying China's sole purpose is one of deepening economic integration with other nations. Many Western governments instead categorize China's foreign policy as largely coercive, aimed at aggressively asserting its dominance over smaller states through political influence and other means.
Cong dismissed such concerns on Tuesday, pushing back in particular against claims that the Chinese government does not rule on behalf of the majority of its populace.
“Such misconceptions will only lead to misjudgments,” he said.
Cong said China instead “adheres to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics,” central to which is the Communist Party of China's rule over the public. Understanding the undisputed supremacy of the Communist Party, he said, should “form the basis of relations” between Canada and any other foreign state.
“As long as we adhere to mutual respect, equal treatment, we can find a way to live in harmony,” he said.
He said a long history of trade between China and Canada has “brought tangible benefits” to both countries. A breaking of those ties could hamper the future gains received by Canada and China both, he said, echoing previous claims by Chinese President Xi Jinping that have framed China's rise as a “win-win” for Western allies and China alike.
The establishment of fast food chain Tim Hortons — now majority-owned by a Brazilian investment fund — in China two years ago was a sign of growing ties between the two, Cong said as an example.
Canadian exports have become increasingly dependent on China in recent years, particularly in the agricultural, mineral, and seafood industries. China between 2009 and 2019 accounted for roughly 40 per cent of all beef exports, at a time when Canadian agricultural exports increased 125 per cent, according to public data.
Cong also warned about an increasing trade divide between the U.S. and China, particularly in areas like mobile technology, where some experts say the global marketplace could continue to be divided into two separate hemispheres.
“We are worried because some people here in the Western countries are preaching for the idea of decoupling,” Cong said.
Gordon Houlden, director at the University of Alberta's China Institute, said Cong's message of economic integration is part of a strategy to reinforce Canada's deepening dependence on the country.
“I don't know if it's a direct threat, but it's certainly a message that says, `We're a trading country,'” he said.
Western leaders are in an increasingly difficult position as Chinese aggressions intensify, Houlden said, particularly in Canada where an over-dependence on the U.S. market has spelled problems for Canadian exporters.
“I myself have concerns, running a decade or so forward, that if we do have a complete decoupling, our dependence on the United States market becomes even more concentrated,” he said.
Also on Tuesday, Cong pushed back against claims that China had detained the two Canadian citizens on spurious grounds, saying it had acted “independently and in strict accordance with laws.”
First-person accounts of the trials found the two were not allowed to choose their own legal representation, while the trials themselves concluded in a little more than a few hours.
The “two Michaels” have been charged with stealing state secrets, a vague charge often levelled by the Chinese government against citizens or foreigners who speak out against the Chinese leadership.
Cong rejected claims that Chinese authorities had deprived the two of sleep and in some cases confiscated their reading glasses, categorizing such reports as false attempts by Western media to “hype up” the issue.