Chinese bullish on free trade with Canada, but feeling misunderstood

A poor human rights record is cited in polls as one of the reasons Canadians are generally skeptical of closer engagement with China

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is greeted by Chinese President Xi Jinping during the official welcome at the G20 Leaders Summit in Hangzhou, Sunday, September 4, 2016.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA — Advisors to the Chinese foreign minister are supportive of a trade deal with Canada but seem unreceptive to some of the Canadian public’s concerns ahead of a planned visit to China by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau early next month, 

Unsurprisingly, it was all sunshine from a delegation that met with press Friday while visiting Ottawa last week, part of a mission that also brought them to Washington, D.C. and New York City. No irritants to report between Canada and China, they said. 

The relationship has been “better than ‘so far so good,’” said ambassador Chen Yonglong, the secretary general of the China-United States Exchange Foundation and a member of the Foreign Policy Advisory Group of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China. 

Where there appear to be clear splits in the United States administration under President Donald Trump, Zhu Yinghuang, another member of the group and the editor-in-chief emeritus of China Daily, the English-language state-run newspaper, said he saw no obvious fragmenting within the Canadian government on the subject of China. Whether the Trump camp has a particular Asia or China policy at all is under debate, he suggested.

The fly in the ointment from Yinghuang's point of view is that Canadian media seem, to some, biased against China

 

But there are “no big problems between us,” Yinghuang said of Canada and China, a sentiment with which foreign officials around the table concurred: the Trudeau government has been friendly.

The fly in the ointment from Yinghuang’s point of view is that Canadian media seem, to some, biased against China. 

China is not a democracy. There are frequent reports of the government rounding up what it considers dissidents, including proponents of spiritual practice Falun Gong, and liberally censors social media. Canadian leadership has consistently raised the issue of human rights with the Chinese.

A poor human rights record is cited in polls as one of the reasons Canadians, though at least somewhat open to free trade negotiations, are generally skeptical of closer engagement — among others, there are concerns over heightened Chinese military activity and the possible impact of Chinese investment on the Canadian housing market. 

On the other hand, the incredible growth of the Chinese economy has allowed what could be seen as an expression of Trudeau’s catchphrase, “the middle class and those working hard to join it.” Estimates vary, from the World Bank’s minimum of 500 million to China Daily’s proclamation of 800 million, but either way since the early 1980s hundreds of millions of Chinese people have vaulted over the poverty line. 

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That’s the story that isn’t being told, Yinghuang said. China may not “yet” have a one man, one vote democracy but as a developing country “we have much bigger problems to solve” than that, he added.

The two countries concluded exploratory talks in August and Canada recently published the results of a broad consultation, which listed dozens of pros and cons from stakeholders: huge market access, they hoped, but also great perceived risk: for example, the spectre of non-tariff barriers like those that stymied the flow of Canadian canola to China until a dispute was smoothed over during Trudeau’s 2016 trip. 

Current Chinese officials gave the impression that their government is generally very supportive of a free trade deal with Canada, though there’s an opinion that it will matter more to Canada’s small market than to China’s behemoth one. But there is a general acknowledgement that the U.S. will always be number one and that the progress of the North American Free Trade Agreement will affect whether an announcement is made anytime soon.

Even if Trudeau announces a negotiation during his trip, scheduled for the first week of December, talks would take many years — with Australia, it took a decade. But reflecting a Chinese foreign policy that has always focused on the long game, one of the officials noted that China can be patient.