China Premier Wen Jiaobao’s Slap on Stephen Harper’s Wrist May Reflect Larger Issues
Prime Minister Stephen Harper conversed with Chinese Premier Wen Jiaobao on Thursday.
Premier Wen Jiaobao of China delivered a rebuke to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Thursday. According to Premier Wen, one of the country’s most popular and senior politicians, Harper’s visit to China has been tardy, and diplomatic meetings between the leaders of the two countries have been too infrequent. The proverbial slap on the wrist may have been an innocuous chiding. But it speaks to the tenuous nature of Canada’s diplomatic relationship with the People’s Republic.
Although Harper and Chinese President Hu Jintao conversed a fortnight ago at the APEC conference, President Hu has not visited Canada in nearly five years. Harper, who has declined opportunities to venture to China in the past, is making his first ever visit.
The diplomatic relationship between Canada and the communist People’s Republic of China (PRC) began in 1970. At the forefront of Canada’s agenda in discussions with the PRC leadership has been human rights, including freedom of religion and expression.
- In 1984, Prime Minister Mulroney raised the issue of human rights with Chinese President Zhao.
-Pursuant to June 4 1989, relations cooled between the two nations as Canada reacted to China’s crackdown on pro-democratic demonstrators in Tiananmen Square.
-In 1998, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien criticized China’s restrictive policy with respect to free speech. Chrétien visited China a total of six times as Prime Minister, and continued to press and rebuke China on human rights, freedom of expression and freedom of religion until the end of his tenure.
-Prime Minister Paul Martin, following in the footsteps of his predecessor Chrétien, raised human rights with Chinese leadership in 2005.
-Prime Minister Harper, from 2006 to the present day, has continued to allude to human rights as a major Canadian concern, even going as far as to decline an invitation to the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics in protest.
As for China, conflict has been a persistent factor in the People’s Republic’s brief history.
The PRC was founded in 1949 by Mao Tse-tung, leader of the Chinese Communist Party. Mao’s military and political opposition at the time, the Kuomintang (KMT) led by Chiang Kai-shek, fled to Taiwan in the 1940s as the CCP had occupied most of the mainland. Both the CCP and KMT, even today, claim to be the only legitimate ruling party of China, and for this reason Taiwan refers to itself as the Republic of China (ROC). Possession being nine-tenths of the law however, the CCP is the de facto ruler of the Chinese land mass.
Understandably, the uncompromising positions of both China and Taiwan have produced a rift in the condition of international relations, of which Canada has been forced to straddle both sides. Further complicating things is the “One China” policy, which every country must embrace in order to have dealings with the CCP, and which stipulates not only that Taiwan’s government is illegitimate, but that Tibet and the Islamic Uyghur Autonomous Region are to be perpetually defined as subjects of the CCP government as well.
Imagine, if you will, the awkwardness with which the Canadian diplomat must contend. Canada, being a democratic society, is on amicable terms with Taiwan. Not only that, but Canadian officials have met with Uyghur governors and political prisoners, and the Dalai Lama, exiled from his homeland of Tibet by the CCP, is an honourable Canadian citizen since 2007. Now imagine how pleased the CCP is by these happenstances.
Despite their differences, Canada and the CCP have managed to cooperate on many fronts. China is now Canada’s second most significant trading partner behind the United States. Although neither country has much to boast about when it comes to addressing climate change, both sides acknowledged the problem in their recent joint statement and show some willingness to reduce emissions. Trade, investment, travel, health, all are issues on which the two can reach some sort of agreement; Canadian firms have provided China with trains, and even a series of CANDU reactors earmarked for the massive Qinshan nuclear power facility, and in return, China has invested heavily in the Canadian commodity and natural resource sectors, including the tar sands, with a view to satiate a hungry and expanding industrial economy.
It is easy to see where the greatest obstacle to a positive working relationship between the two nations lies. And part of the reason why Harper’s visit to China has been delayed, is the fundamental disagreement over adherence to international standards of human rights and the rule of law. The joint statement broaches the subject, but does so cautiously:
Both sides acknowledged that differing histories and national conditions can create some distinct points of view on issues such as human rights. The two sides agreed to increased dialogue and exchanges on human rights, on the basis of equality and mutual respect, to promote and protect human rights consistent with international human rights instruments.
So, if Canada and China are to expect a relationship of “mutual understanding and friendship,” the CCP will need to improve first and foremost in the human rights area. And Canadian high officials, as Wen pointed out, will have to visit more often.
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Tags: china, stephen harper, wen jiaobao
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