China

Saturday February 20, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday February 20, 2021

MPs vote to label China’s persecution of Uighurs a genocide

Parliament today accused the Chinese government of carrying out a campaign of genocide against Uighurs and other Turkic Muslims.

February 12, 2021

A substantial majority of MPs — including most Liberals who participated — voted in favour of a Conservative motion that says China’s actions in its western Xinjiang region meet the definition of genocide set out in the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention.

The final tally was 266 in favour and zero opposed. Two MPs formally abstained.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and almost all of his cabinet colleagues were absent for the vote. Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau was the only cabinet minister present. When it was his turn, he said he abstained “on behalf of the Government of Canada.” 

The motion also calls on the government to lobby the International Olympic Committee to move the 2022 Winter Olympic Games out of Beijing.

It was passed over the strenuous objections of Chinese Ambassador to Canada Cong Peiwu, who denounced the vote as meddling in China’s internal affairs.

June 3, 2015

Media reports and academic and UN experts have accused China of imprisoning Uighurs in concentration and “deradicalization” camps and targeting them for forced labour, sexual violence, population control methods and sweeping surveillance. China’s foreign ministry has denied the accusations.

The motion calls on the government to officially adopt the position that China is engaged in genocide, and to coordinate a response with the U.S. and other allies.

While it’s not clear what impact — if any — the non-binding resolution will have on the Liberal government’s approach to China, it threatens to inflame relations between the two countries at a time when they’re already tense due to the arrest of Huawei CEO Meng Wanzhou by Canadian authorities over two years ago, and China’s subsequent imprisonment of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.

In a statement posted to the Chinese embassy’s website prior to the vote, Cong insisted the reports of Uighur persecution are based on lies.

November 20, 2020

Bob Rae, Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations, called on the United Nations in November to investigate whether China’s persecution of ethnic Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang constitutes genocide.

Despite these calls, Prime Minister Trudeau and his cabinet ministers have been reluctant to use the word “genocide” to describe China’s actions against the Uighurs. Last week, Trudeau said the word is an “extremely loaded” one and he is not prepared to use it at this point.

In question period today, Garneau said the government takes allegations against China “very seriously” and has raised its concerns directly with the Chinese government.

Garneau said Canada wants independent investigators to go into China to document abuses and is working with international partners to gain access to the region. (CBC) 

 

Friday February 12, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday February 12, 2021

Diplomatic Channels: Iran and China

The Canadian government and security agencies are reviewing an audio recording in which a man — identified by sources as Iran’s foreign affairs minister — discusses the possibility that the destruction of Flight PS752 was an intentional act, CBC News has learned.

December 18, 2020

The individual, identified by sources as Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif, is heard saying on the recording that there are a “thousand possibilities” to explain the downing of the jet, including a deliberate attack involving two or three “infiltrators” — a scenario he said was “not at all unlikely.”

He is also heard saying the truth will never be revealed by the highest levels of Iran’s government and military.

“There are reasons that they will never be revealed,” he says in Farsi. “They won’t tell us, nor anyone else, because if they do it will open some doors into the defence systems of the country that will not be in the interest of the nation to publicly say.”

On Jan. 8, 2020, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 in the skies over Tehran with two surface-to-air missiles, killing all 176 people aboard, including 138 people with ties to Canada.

CBC News has listened to the recording of the private conversation, which took place in the months immediately following the destruction of Flight PS752. CBC had three people translate the recording from Farsi to English to capture nuances in the language. (CBC) 

December 8, 2020

Meanwhile, Canadian businessman Michael Spavor called his country’s Beijing embassy from an airport in China’s northeast. He was being questioned by authorities after being blocked from boarding a flight out of China.

Concern at the embassy over the call shifted to alarm when officials learned another Canadian had been apprehended in Beijing that day, on Dec. 10, 2018, according to people familiar with the matter. This time, it was former diplomat Michael Kovrig.

Since then, the two men have been thrust to the center of a high-stakes standoff between Canada, the U.S. and China, where they have been detained and accused of espionage. Hope had surged recently among family members and supporters that the men might be released if separate talks to resolve criminal charges against Meng Wanzhou, an executive at China’s Huawei Technologies Co., bore fruit. Canada has accused China of detaining the two men in retaliation for Ms. Meng’s arrest on a U.S. extradition request. (Wall Street Journal) 

 

Tuesday December 8, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday December 8, 2020

Canadians must never forget ‘the two Michaels’

If any Canadians still wonder why their country isn’t ready to become one of China’s best bosom buddies, this week should remind them.

November 20, 2020

As of Thursday, Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig will have suffered for two full years in Chinese jails where they were almost certainly locked up for political, rather than legal, reasons.

Just think back to Dec. 10, 2018 and consider all the things you’ve done, all the places you’ve been, all the people you’ve seen and all the freedoms you’ve savoured since then. Then remember the men who are now widely referred to as “the two Michaels.” 

While both have had only restricted contact with the outside world, we know they’ve endured months of daily interrogations in deplorable, solitary confinement-like conditions where the lights were kept on 24 hours a day. And while for a time Spavor and Kovrig were at least allowed an occasional, brief visit from Canadian consular staff, the Chinese are now using the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to make them even more unreachable — and alone.

That this constitutes cruel, inhumane treatment should go without saying. But it is also egregiously unjust and underlines the stark difference between Canada’s adherence to the rule of international law and China’s inclination to make up the rules that suit its fancy. 

December 12, 2018

The Chinese incarcerated the two Michaels just days after Canada’s house arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who is wanted on fraud charges in the United States. While Spavor and Kovrig languish in cramped cells, Meng is out on bail, living comfortably in Vancouver where she divides her time between her two mansions. While Spavor and Kovrig have been denied proper legal representation, Meng has access to the small army of lawyers she hired to fight her extradition to the U.S.

From the day of Meng’s arrest two years ago, the Canadian government clearly explained a legal agreement with the U.S. compelled it to take action against her. In contrast, while China has formally charged Spavor and Kovrig with espionage, its real motive for arresting them is different. 

July 25, 2019

This is hostage diplomacy, plain and simple, a blatant attempt by a global superpower to force Canada to bow to its commands. The Chinese themselves basically confirmed this is the case in June. That’s when Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said it was “within the rule of law” for China to release Spavor and Kovrig — if Canada freed Meng first.

Of course, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was right not to buckle to the pressure on him to interfere with Canadian courts and free Meng. If you give in to a bully once, the bully will inevitably be back again to twist your arm into doing something else. And this is the same bully that has also arbitrarily blocked its imports of Canadian farm products, all while badgering Canada to allow China’s Huawei Technologies Co., equipment to be used in Canada’s 5G wireless networks.

China is a country that, because of its political power and economic prowess, Canada must engage. But its aggressive dealings with Canada, including sending over state agents to intimidate Canadian citizens who publicly criticize China, mean we should keep a wary distance — and keep it out of our 5G network. 

Such a relationship should be reserved for a true friend. But a true friend wouldn’t have kept Spavor and Kovrig behind bars for two years. (Hamilton Spectator Editorial) 

 

Tuesday December 1, 2020

December 1, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday December 1, 2020

How the health system is addressing vaccine hesitancy, a looming hurdle in race to end pandemic

Tanya Hayles is not an anti-vaxxer. The Torontonian has made sure her eight-year-old son Jackson is up to date with the standard vaccines, and she, too, has been inoculated.

November 21, 2020

“There are diseases that we were able to eradicate as a result of vaccines,” she said.

The event planner, whose business has suffered as a result of the pandemic, would like nothing more than to see the end of COVID-19 as well. Given the choice, though, she said she wouldn’t be “first in line” for a COVID-19 vaccination.

She points out that side effects of the immunizations she and her son have received in the past are well-known to doctors. “They can say, ‘Oh, look for a rash around the needle point,’ et cetera.”

However, Hayles has concerns about whether such clarity will be available with a coronavirus vaccine that has been developed so quickly.

“Something this big, something this major, something this rushed — I would want to know more information before I put it in my body,” she said.

October 29, 2009

Health authorities say the benefits of approved vaccines far outweigh any risks. But international research shows that while most people anxiously await the availability of pandemic-crushing immunizations, a sizeable minority are unsure whether they’d get the vaccine, at least in the early days after one is approved.

As Canada readies itself to evaluate and eventually distribute COVID-19 vaccines, this vaccine hesitancy is becoming a key focus of the country’s top officials.

According to Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam, 65 to 78 per cent of Canadians have indicated they would get a COVID-19 vaccine. Tam said in an interview with CBC that it’s “critical” for public health to bring what she calls the “moveable middle,” or undecided Canadians, onside.

“I think that’s why it is a very key pillar of our approach in the days and weeks and months ahead, to be able to get that group of people the information that they need to get vaccinated,” she said.

November 26, 2020

“It is really important that as many people get vaccinated as possible to protect themselves,” Tam added, “but also others who are at higher risk.”

Alongside Health Canada’s commitment to study the data about the vaccines themselves, Tam said the government is preparing a multipronged campaign to inform the public about it. That includes working with social media companies, such as Facebook and Twitter, and even gaming platforms.

Canada’s public health team has learned that people who get their information via social media are less likely to get vaccinated than those who follow traditional media, Tam said. “So, we’ll be collaborating with similar platforms to get the message out to Canadians about the safety of the vaccine, and how the trials are going, and what happens in terms of the programmatic implementation as well.” (CBC) 

 

Friday November 20, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday November 20, 2020

China’s meddling inside Canada must stop

The Chinese state is sending covert agents into Canada to intimidate Canadians. But the federal Liberal government is doing next to nothing to stop it.

January 30, 2020

Chinese tech giant Huawei is itching to get its fingers on Canada’s 5G wireless networks. But the federal government refuses to say it can’t — despite the undeniable risks such a partnership would carry for national security.

It is past time for Justin Trudeau’s Liberals to stand up to the bullies in Beijing and the threats they pose to Canada. And if it takes a firm push from the opposition parties in the House of Commons to make them show some backbone, so be it.

Led by the Conservatives, the opposition parties passed a motion Wednesday calling on the Liberal government to do two things within the next 30 days to protect Canada and Canadians from this increasingly aggressive superpower.

July 16, 2020

First, the Liberals are supposed to announce how they’ll prevent China from sending its operatives to this country to harass and threaten Canadians. While this outrageous and frightening behaviour has been long known, it acquired new urgency last week when the Canadian Security Intelligence Service spoke up to denounce it.

According to CSIS, undercover Chinese state security officials and others routinely attempt to silence China’s critics in Canada by using tactics that include threats of retribution against people’s families in China.

December 12, 2019

That assessment was consistent with an Amnesty International report earlier this year that said Hong Kong Canadians, Tibetan Canadians and Uighur Canadians are all being targeted by China. And it said Ottawa’s response to the rising number of complaints about China’s bullying of Canadians was ineffective.

June 24, 2020

The second part of the opposition parties’ motion is just as crucial to Canada’s future. It says the Liberals must finally announce whether equipment made by China’s Huawei Technologies Co. will be allowed in Canada’s 5G wireless network.

There are legitimate concerns that ceding vast power over a major piece of Canadian infrastructure to a company so closely tied to the Chinese state would pose a major threat to national security. The federal government knows this. Yet it continues to hem and haw over making a decision, despite spending two years supposedly studying the matter.

To be fair to the Liberals, China is a formidable opponent. It has illegally and immorally jailed Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor for the past 711 days in blatant retaliation for Canada’s entirely legal house arrest of a Huawei executive facing charges in the U.S. It blocked exports of Canadian canola, pork and beef, too, in an effort to bend Canada to its will. For Canada to take it on is like a featherweight jumping into the ring with a super-heavyweight.

June 17, 2017

But Canada does have friends to stand beside it and show it a way forward. The United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and the United States — our Five Eyes intelligence allies — have all blocked Huawei from being part of their 5G wireless networks. In addition, Australia recently took effective action to stop the Chinese state from harassing people in Australia.

Canada can do the same — and remain secure. Although the opposition motion passed in Ottawa this week is not binding on the government, the Liberals should take it seriously. The opposition parties speak for a majority of Canadians, many of whom are convinced Canada must face down the Chinese bully.

No country that calls itself sovereign should tolerate the way China is interfering within Canadian borders. No country that values the rights and well-being of its citizens should refuse to defend them. (Hamilton Spectator Editorial)