Canada is not in debt to its allies, including the United States, for its help in tackling China and ending the Meng Wanzhou-dos Michaels affair, says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Canada and the United States resolved the nearly three-year standoff with China by standing firm in their shared belief in the “rules-based” international order, and that united approach will be key to meeting the challenges posed by China going forward, Trudeau said. in a year-end interview with the Ottawa office of The Canadian Press.
Two jailed Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, were released in September after more than 1,000 days in Chinese prisons after US authorities dropped their prosecution of Meng, a top Huawei executive that Canada arrested in a US extradition warrant in December 2018.
The incarcerations of Kovrig and Spavor were widely seen as retaliation for Canada’s arrest of Meng so that the Americans could force her to appear before trial for allegedly violating trade sanctions with Iran. deferred prosecution agreement.
David Cohen, the newly arrived U.S. ambassador to Canada, suggested in testimony before the Senate foreign relations committee last month that the Biden administration was getting impatient and eager to see Ottawa adopt a policy toward China that was aligned. with Washington’s tough stance.
Trudeau played down the suggestion that Canada is somehow indebted to the Americans for its new policy toward China.
“One of the good things about standing up for your values and upholding the rule of law and not making clandestine deals and not giving in to pressure is when you just stand up for your values and the way this is supposed to work, you don’t end up owing anything” said the prime minister in the interview.
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“You, of course, continue to work with your partners and appreciate the support and alignment that is there. But we were able to do this while adhering to the principles and values (that) Canadians hold dear and that is extremely important on this issue.”
In his confirmation from the US Senate in November, Cohen called China an “existential threat” to the United States and said he would participate in discussions to “make sure Canada’s policies reflect his words in terms of its deal with China.” .
Trudeau didn’t seem out of tune with that thought during the interview, but he also made it clear that it’s not on anyone’s schedule other than his own.
#Canada, allies must meet the challenge of #China united after two Michaels: @JustinTrudeau. #CDNPoli
Trudeau gave no indication that his government’s long-awaited decision on whether to ban Chinese high-tech company Huawei from Canada’s next-generation 5G internet is coming soon. Canada is currently the last of the Five Eyes intelligence exchange members to decide the key international security issue. The alliance includes the US, which sees Huawei as a security threat, as well as Britain, Australia and New Zealand.
The Canadian government delayed its decision on Huawei because it did not want Kovrig and Spavor to face consequences in prison. Two months ago, Trudeau said there were weeks to go to make a decision on 5G, but it seems certain that 2022 will arrive with the problem unsolved.
“Basically, this is a competitive decision, it is a security decision, it is a decision about the future of our telecommunications networks that is incredibly important,” Trudeau explained.
“We have had many conversations over the years about the security of our telecommunications networks and the telecommunications companies are watching the world go,” he added, “and frankly, the way China has been behaving on the stage. worldwide, among other things. ” of which is the arbitrary detention of the two Michaels. “
Hours before the interview, Trudeau published the letters of mandate for the new ministers in his cabinet, and although the word China was conspicuously absent in the letter from Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, the country was addressed directly.
Without offering a timeline, Trudeau told Joly to “develop and launch a comprehensive Indo-Pacific strategy to deepen defense, economic and diplomatic partnerships and international assistance in the region.”
The “Indo-Pacific” label is widely viewed in foreign policy circles as a shortened way of excluding China from discussions of the vast geopolitical entity across the Pacific Ocean border from Canada.
“It will work to promote peace and security, combat authoritarianism, and counter foreign interference through collective international responses, including expanding our cooperation with like-minded partners and Canadian, international and multilateral organizations,” Joly’s mandate letter read. .
Trudeau came to power in 2015 hoping to deepen economic and political ties with China, but the effort failed in 2017 when the two countries were unable to agree on launching free trade talks. Relations fell to an all-time low in late 2018 with the arrests of Meng and the two Michaels and have remained in a diplomatic freeze ever since.
As 2021 wraps up, Trudeau said Canada remains committed to working together with allies to confront China.
“The experience we had of the arbitrary detention of the two Michaels has been a very vivid illustration of China’s modern approach to global diplomacy. And I think we are extremely aware of both that challenge and what has worked against that challenge, that en First and foremost, stay true to our values and the rule of law, “said the prime minister.
Trudeau noted that countries around the world regularly raise the plight of the “two Canadians arbitrarily detained in China, much to the annoyance of their Chinese interlocutors at all ranges of bilateral meetings.”
“That concerted alignment between like-minded countries, and a firmness around the rule-based order and the rule of law is what we’re going to have to continue to put at the center of how we approach not just China, but all kinds. of international challenges “.
This Canadian Press report was first published on December 21, 2021.
Reference-www.nationalobserver.com