LILLEY: Trudeau stands with Beijing over Hong Kong

The Trudeau government says it has “deep concern” after the Chinese government decided to impose a new national security law on Hong Kong.

That’ll show them. Nothing like a little “deep concern” to make the dictators in Beijing change their ways.

Despite international commitments to ensure Hong Kong’s autonomy and allow the city a certain degree of democratic governance, Chinese President Xi Jinping has been exerting greater control. In a vote, led by Xi, China’s make-believe legislature voted 2,878 to 1 in favour of the security legislation.

The new law will ban secession, the subversion of state power and foreign intervention into Hong Kong’s affairs. It will also allow China’s security agencies to operate in the city for the first time.

Beijing is also pushing a bill through Hong Kong’s parliament that would make it a crime to disrespect the Chinese national anthem.

In response to all of this, Canada has expressed “deep concern.”

Admittedly, the expression of “deep concern” was in a joint statement issued with the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. Still, the comments are the strongest Canada has made, that’s not something our allies can say.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took a harsher tone in his statement on Beijing bully moves.

“Beijing’s disastrous decision is only the latest in a series of actions that fundamentally undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy and freedoms,” Pompeo said.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the move will violate the autonomy of the people of Hong Kong.” Raab also offered residents of Hong Kong greater visa rights in Britain.

Australia, of course, has been leading the world in criticizing China over its handling of COVID-19 and doesn’t shy away from calling out Beijing’s leaders despite having closer ties and a deeper trade relationship with China than Canada does.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, May 20, 2020. Blair Gable / Reuters

We all know that Justin Trudeau, who admires China’s basic dictatorship as he famously told us, will not criticize Beijing’s rulers in any meaningful way.

He’s refused to take on China over their handling of COVID-19, has been near silent on the kidnapping of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor and has turned a blind eye to a series of Chinese human rights abuses from the harassment of Christian churches to the horror of putting Uighur Muslims into reeducation camps.

Pressed in the Commons earlier this week on his refusal to condemn Beijing over the latest moves, Trudeau said he was looking out for Canada.

“My job as Prime Minister is to stand up for Canadians,” Trudeau said. “It is to be there to defend the rights of Canadians and to protect Canadians, both at home and abroad. That is why we have been unequivocal in our defence of the two Michaels arbitrarily detained in China; we have continued to work to resolve that situation.”

Conservative leader Andrew Scheer rightly called Trudeau out for invoking the two Michaels in his defence.

“What did he do after two Canadians were held illegally by the PRC? He still wrote that cheque to the Asian infrastructure bank and still gave that institution Canadian taxpayers’ money to help further the advancements of the foreign policy of China,” Scheer said.

Scheer is right, in the face of two Canadians arbitrarily detained, Trudeau gave $256 million to the Beijing controlled bank.

Canada has long and deep ties with Hong Kong. There are 300,000 Canadians living there, and many people from Hong Kong living here. There are deep historical and cultural ties as well.