Parliamentary Committee Notes: Canada-China Diplomatic Relations
Date: 2023-01-27
Branch/Agency: Global Affairs Canada
Proposed Response:
- Canada will challenge China when we ought to, and co-operate with China when we must.
- This is why Canada agreed to host the UN Conference on Biodiversity, COP15, last December, in Montréal, under a Chinese presidency. With up to one million species at risk of extinction, the world needs countries to work together for global action on nature protection.
- But let me be clear, Canada will never apologize for its national interests. We will not apologise for seeking to uphold the global rules that govern trade, human rights, or navigation and overflight rights.
- Canada will continue to engage at the highest levels regarding the human rights situation in the Xinjiang region of China. We will continue to oppose unilateral actions that threaten the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. We will continue to stand up for freedom of speech and freedom of the press in Hong Kong.
- Canada will continue to seek frank, open and respective dialogue with China, and maintain open channels of communication, at all levels, in order to ensure clarity about our respective positions.
Diplomatic relations:
Under President Xi Jinping, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has adopted a more assertive and authoritarian approach to its national interests, with a security-first approach to domestic governance, which manifests itself internationally through greater assertiveness and confrontation.
On 27 November 2022, Canada released its Indo-Pacific Strategy, which provides greater clarity to Canadians on how the government engages China. It describes China as an increasingly disruptive actor on the world stage that is looking to shape the international order into a more permissive environment for values and interests that are increasingly divergent from Canada’s. The Indo-Pacific Strategy commits significant resources to enhance Canadian competencies on China across and beyond government to ensure that we are better able to understand, assess and respond to its growing impact. Consistent with this assessment, Canada’s evolving approach to China advances action plans across the domestic, bilateral, regional and multilateral domains that address vulnerabilities while building resiliency and pursuing opportunities with China.
Canada will challenge China in areas of profound disagreement, such as on issues of human rights, Taiwan, and foreign interference on Canadian soil. At the same time, it remains in Canada’s interest to advance cooperation in areas of shared interests, including climate change and biodiversity loss, global health and nuclear non-proliferation. Minister Joly last met with PRC Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the margins of the G20 Summit on November 15, 2022, to discuss the war in Ukraine, North Korea, COP15, and alleged Chinese foreign interference.
COP15:
Montréal hosted COP15 from 7-19 December 2022 under a Chinese Presidency. Canada-China environmental cooperation in the lead-up to COP15 went well, as bilateral tensions did not impede planning efforts. On December 19, Parties agreed to the ambitious Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and a way forward on nature finance that would see the establishment of a global biodiversity fund administered by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
Human Rights:
Mounting evidence illustrates a systematic campaign of repression against Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities by the Chinese government in Xinjiang. On August 31 2022, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights released a much-anticipated assessment of the human rights situation in Xinjiang. Canada welcomed its release, which made an important contribution to the mounting evidence of abuses and violations in Xinjiang, some of which may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity. Minister Joly released a statement on September 1, urging the Government of China to respond to the concerns and the recommendations raised in the report. Canada led a statement at the UN on this matter on October 31, garnering more support than ever (50 states, and significant abstentions), while China gathered 66 states to support a counter statement.
Taiwan:
Since 1970, Canada’s One China policy has recognized the PRC as the sole legitimate government of China, noting—neither challenging nor endorsing—the PRC government’s position that Taiwan is an inalienable part of its territory. This policy has enabled Canada to expand and strengthen economic and people-to-people ties with Taiwan.
Hong Kong:
On June 30, 2020, the PRC central government imposed the National Security Law (NSL) on Hong Kong, which led to a rapid erosion of rights and freedoms in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR). Negative developments have compelled Canada, in concert with its international partners, to issue numerous statements of concern with respect to Hong Kong. On June 30, the Minister Joly issued a statement on the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong SAR, which urged PRC and Hong Kong authorities to adhere fully to the One Country, Two Systems framework set out in Hong Kong’s Basic Law. On July 1, John Lee became the new Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR. Lee is the former Secretary of Security and has been a strong and hardline national security advocate. He is among 11 Hong Kong and mainland Chinese officials sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in August 2020.
Key statistics:
China is Canada’s third largest merchandise export market, with 4.4% of total exports in 2021, well behind the U.S. (75.5%) and just behind the EU-27 (4.8%). In the first half of 2022, Canada’s exports to China totaled $12.4 billion, 14.4% lower than in the first half of 2021, largely due to tight supplies of agricultural commodities in Canada. Imports from China totaled $46.6 billion, 19% higher than in the first half of 2021. Canada’s trade deficit with China ($34.2 billion) was 38.5% higher than in the first half of 2021.
Contacts:
Prepared by: Nicolas Gallant, Policy Advisor, 343-548-2057
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