Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says the federal government’s upcoming Indo-Pacific strategy will bolster efforts to combat the meddling of foreign powers in Canadian affairs. Her comments followed warnings to Parliament from Canada’s spy agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, about the Chinese government’s influence campaigns in that country. “We will do more to counter foreign interference,” Ms Jolie said in a speech at an event organized by the Asia Pacific Foundation and the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy on Wednesday. In her speech, Ms. Joly offered a preview of the yet-to-be-released strategy, a plan to diversify and deepen trade in the Indo-Pacific region, which stretches from North America to the Indian Ocean. He said the strategy would position China as an increasingly disruptive global power – a reversal of the government’s previous policy of avoiding conflict with the world’s second-largest economy. But he said Canada should continue to trade with China, even though it is authoritarian and increasingly assertive, because of the sheer size of its economy. Goldy Hyder, president of the Business Council of Canada, said The government’s new policy is based on a “realistic assessment of risks and regional tensions, with a frank recognition that Canada must continue to work with China on global priorities such as reducing emissions.” He added that Canadian businesses are pleased that Ottawa is aligning its China policy more closely with that of the United States, which has said China poses an economic and military threat to Indo-Pacific region. What Xi Jinping’s third term could mean for Canada-China relations The government has been quietly shaping its Indo-Pacific strategy since 2020. Ms Jolie promised that the full strategy would be launched within a month. Last week, Adam Fisher, director-general of intelligence assessments at CSIS, warned a Commons committee that China is the “first aggressor” when it comes to foreign interference in Western countries and is working on their political systems to “corrupt” them. . Mr Fisher added that Beijing appeared to be “interfering domestically in every way. This includes certain elections and ridings.’ A preview of Ms Jolie’s speech on Wednesday made no mention of declarations by fellow senior government ministers to curb trade with authoritarian countries such as China. Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne told a Washington audience in October that Canada wants “a disengagement, certainly from China, and I would say other regimes in the world that don’t share the same values.” Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, also in October, said Canada should embrace “keeping friends” by ending dependence on authoritarian states like China for vital goods and standing up for democracies bullied by Beijing. Ms Jolie did not use words like “disconnect” or “friends connect” on Wednesday. “I don’t want to close the door, I must say. I’m open doors,” he said. She responded cautiously when Peter Loewen, director of the Munk School, asked her whether Canada would consider the “democratic performance” or human rights records of foreign countries before deciding on trade deals or engagements with them. “We need to have tough conversations, but in the meantime we really need to make sure we have strong trade relationships,” Ms Joly said. The Chinese embassy in Canada accused Ms. Jolie of damaging China’s reputation. Her speech, it said in a statement on the embassy’s website, “contained many negative contents about China that distorted the truth, exaggerated the so-called ‘Chinese threat’ and defamed China’s image, which amounted to blatant interference in China’s internal affairs.” cases.” The embassy urged the Canadian government to “get back on the right path that is conducive to achieving cooperation that will benefit everyone.” When Ms. Joly was asked at Wednesday’s event whether Canada’s trade engagement with China should depend on Beijing’s level of respect for human rights, she spoke of the implications for Canadian companies doing business there. “We need to engage at different levels, but China right now poses a geopolitical risk and the business community needs to be aware of that,” he said. Guy Saint-Jacques, who was Canada’s ambassador to Beijing from 2012 to 2016, said businessmen should see the minister’s remarks as a warning. “While the strategy does not talk about disengagement, there is a clear message for companies operating in China, the risk of doing business,” he said. He added that Ms Jolie was making a “clear break from her previous policy of engagement with China” and said he was encouraged that Canada will work more closely with the US and other allies in the region. David Mulroney, who preceded Mr Saint-Jacques as ambassador to China, said Ms Joly’s comments downplayed the threat Beijing represents today. “Simply describing China as ‘disruptive’ fundamentally understates the problems we face,” he said. He added that he finds it surprising that a strategy in development for so long is not yet ready, especially since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will travel to Asia later this month. Canadian Chamber of Commerce CEO Perrin Beatty said he was pleased Ms. Joly signaled her intention to continue working with China where appropriate. And he said he was encouraged by her talk of deeper ties with the rest of the region, including India. “This region has great potential for Canada, including for Canadian businesses,” he said. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre told a press conference in Vancouver that he would have to see the full Indo-Pacific strategy before commenting on it. “I have seen no evidence of action from this administration to protect our democracy from this kind of foreign interference,” he said. “No foreign government should have any influence on our elections or our future.” He said there is a need for a government that defends human rights and freedoms and protects Canada’s interests “in an increasingly dangerous world.”
