With Beijing’s foreign interference in Canada under intense scrutiny, China watchers are urging the foreign affairs minister to address the issue, along with human rights concerns, during her surprise visit to China.
Mélanie Joly’s visit to China on July 18—at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi—is the first by a Canadian foreign minister in seven years. It comes as the RCMP ramps up investigations into Beijing’s foreign interference, while a public inquiry and parliamentary committees examine the regime’s meddling in Canadian federal elections and targeting of Canadian citizens and public servants.
“The visit also comes at a time when it has become clear to Canadians that China is not our friend or ally—that there needs to be a real reconsideration of our relationship with the PRC [People’s Republic of China],” Katherine Leung, policy adviser for Hong Kong Watch in Canada, told The Epoch Times’ sister media NTD Television.
“It is my hope that the minister is not going to the PRC to rekindle a trade relationship with China, but rather raising concerns and addressing problems we have in the relationship.”
Similar concerns were raised by Mabel Tung, chair of the Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement.
“I am concerned that they will only discuss issues like the economy, trade, and technology, and not address how China is trampling on human rights,” Ms. Tung told NTD Television in Cantonese.
Specifically, she highlighted the need to address the plight of pro-democracy protesters who fled Hong Kong but continue to face harassment and intimidation in Canada. The Beijing regime has tightened its control over the region in recent years by introducing laws that limit freedoms and offering bounties for key figures in the pro-democracy movement.
Foreign Interference
Ottawa-Beijing relations have soured in recent years following the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in 2018 and China’s retaliatory detention of Canadian citizens Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.There has been further scrutiny of Beijing’s actions toward Canada as intelligence reports have surfaced in recent months of China’s extensive meddling in Canadian affairs.
“Canada does not need to take the initiative to engage with China at this juncture, given the current state of China-Canada relations,” said Joseph Shi, a pro-democracy activist who was jailed in China in the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
Mr. Shi, who now resides in Alberta and was at one point a city councillor in Cremona, highlighted recent efforts by the RCMP to investigate reports of China’s operation of secret police stations in Canada. The RCMP’s Quebec division has recently launched a series of social media and community outreach programs, calling for tips related to criminal activities perpetrated by the Chinese regime.
An ongoing public inquiry into foreign interference is studying allegations that Beijing meddled in Canada’s 2019 and 2021 federal elections, including efforts to target MPs critical of the regime’s rights records.
Questionable Timing
Johnathan Fon, a Toronto-based political commentator and vice president of the Canadian Asian Community Think Tank, questioned the timing of Ms. Joly’s visit. He cited political instability within China and severe flooding as reasons for his concerns.He said Ms. Joly’s visit “does not help improve Canada-China relations,” as Beijing is the party disrupting the relationship.
Meanwhile, Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, a senior fellow at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa, noted that the timing of Ms. Joly’s visit signals that China’s economy is “in a dire situation” and that it is seeking stronger economic ties with countries like Canada.
“It’s interesting that China is accepting her proposal for a meeting now because their economy is in dire straits,” she said, noting that Ms. Joly had also previously signalled that she wanted to pursue closer relations with Beijing.
