(Ottawa) China’s ambassador to Canada says the federal government’s allegations of foreign election interference are damaging trade relations, but stresses his country has no intention of punishing Ottawa.
Posted at 11:08 am.
Dylan Robertson The Canadian Press
Relations between the two countries have been strained since the detention of two Canadian citizens, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, from 2018 to fall 2021. Both were arrested just days after Meng Wanzhou, an executive at Chinese company Huawei Technologies, was arrested by Canadian authorities in Vancouver. American authorities then requested her extradition to face fraud charges.
China also imposed restrictions on imports of Canadian meat and canola for three years.
And recently, China removed Canada from the list of 70 countries to which its citizens are again allowing group travel.
Some observers say Beijing wants to change certain Canadian policies.
The Chinese ambassador sees it differently.
“China is not using trade as a weapon against Canada. “I think if we want to get relations back on the right track, we have to create the conditions,” emphasized Cong Peiwu in an interview with The Canadian Press. We must interpret China and Chinese politics rationally. »
André Laliberté, professor of political science at the University of Ottawa, does not share this opinion. “This is not what we see in reality. This is a blatant case of a country trying to enforce its terms and conditions for entering into trade relations with it. »
Mr Cong stressed that trade between the two countries continued to grow despite political tensions. The Chinese government says it has seen a 17% increase in Canadian exports of industrial products in the first eight months of 2023 compared to the same period of the year.
The University of Alberta’s China Institute attributes the increase to the economic boom after the Chinese government announced the end of COVID-19 restrictions earlier this year. In an analysis published last month, he noted that despite the slow recovery of China’s economy, “bilateral trade between Canada and China reached record highs last year despite high tensions.”
Ambassador Cong wants Canada to examine the two countries’ common interests rather than finding reasons for a dispute.
We hope and pray that Canadians perceive China rationally, look in the same direction as China, build mutual respect, seek common ground and put aside differences to create common ground. Better atmosphere. We must stop creating new obstacles if we want to improve relationships.
Cong Peiwu, Chinese Ambassador to Canada
But Lynette Ong, an expert from the University of Toronto, recalls that the Chinese government retaliates against countries that do not cooperate with it, particularly through arbitrary import restrictions.
“ [Les autorités chinoises] Use excuses like arbitrary health reasons. They will claim that Canadian products like beef or canola oil do not meet health standards. And since they are responsible for all these tests, there is nothing Canada can do,” says Professor Ong.
The Canada-China Business Council (CCAC), a non-partisan group that says it serves as the main spokesperson for Canadian businesses in China, wants the federal government to emulate Australia, whose relations with Beijing appear to be improving despite numerous disputes. The two countries have carried out numerous ministerial visits. For example, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing last weekend.
“We see fewer problems when two countries really work together,” says CACC Executive Director Sarah Kutulakos.
Ms. Kutulakos argues that the United States has maintained a similar balance despite the heated rhetoric. As a result, exports of products such as pet food have skyrocketed.
“The customer base [en Chine] The desire to buy our products is increasing. But if we don’t export like our competitors do, that means we’re losing ground. »
In her opinion, putting aside differences does not mean ignoring foreign interference. However, she would like to see a more tactical approach.
“It is necessary to raise issues such as foreign interference, but if there is no forum to raise it, it is like not doing it at all.” Talking about it in the Western press will not solve anything. There are things we will never agree on, but if we use this as an excuse to refuse discussion, we will get nowhere. »