A little over a month ago, we all greeted with relief the release and return of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig to Canada, and Meng Wanzhou to China. We must now recognize that their detention has had a negative effect on Sino-Canadian relations, which are now at their lowest in 50 years. It is up to us to rebuild this relationship.
Yes, feelings of bitterness, mistrust and resentment still hover on both sides. We won’t be able to just pick up where we left off. Restoring trust will take time and effort.
It would be mutually damaging and not very constructive to lock us into divisive rhetoric and turn us away from each other.
More than ever, it is time to listen to yourself and learn, not to teach yourself a lesson. “Short-termism” cannot guide a relationship as important as ours.
As leaders of Canadian and Chinese companies, we are stewards of this relationship.
Both sides have lessons to learn from the events of recent years. If we integrate them, in a respectful dialogue and by working together, we will progress step by step. Mutually beneficial transactions, investments and partnerships are part of the solution, but we should also encourage our governments to work together again.
We gain by working together in sectors such as agriculture, tourism, sustainable development, university cooperation, financial services and healthcare. This process will help us rebuild the links and send positive signals to businesses and markets, but also to the citizens of our two countries.
Global challenges such as the pandemic, the fight against climate change, the implementation of carbon neutral solutions and the prevention of cyber attacks require that we work together.
Rich tradition
We must not lose sight of the fact that Canada and China benefit from a rich political, cultural and economic tradition that has united our two countries since the 19th century.e century. Canada was one of the first Western countries to grant diplomatic recognition to the People’s Republic of China. It also supported its entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The ties that unite our citizens are just as strong. Over 1.8 million Canadian residents, or over 5% of Canada’s population, are of Chinese descent.
It would be tragic to break with this history of trust and collaboration.
There are definitely areas in which we have and will continue to have fundamental differences. Some of China’s human rights practices are of concern to Canadians, and I don’t expect us to agree on all of these issues. But if I may, I would like to say to our fellow Canadians that moving forward requires engaging in a respectful dialogue and avoiding getting caught up in Cold War rhetoric. I would also like to say to our Chinese friends, with all due respect, that with increased economic, political and military power comes great responsibility and, inevitably, increased international surveillance.
We all need to be humble and learn from our mistakes. We should seek to respect each other’s cultures and rights.
Rebuilding on important gains
Within 10 years, China will have become the world’s largest economy. Our two countries have too much to gain from working together to wage a war of words and retaliation.
Canada’s strengths in clean technology and renewable energy could help China move away from coal. In the area of financial services, Canada enjoys a worldwide reputation for its good governance and sound regulatory practices. Our strengths in this sector may continue to benefit China as it liberalizes its markets and strives to strengthen its compliance requirements.
Despite ongoing tensions between our governments, trade between Canada and China increased during the pandemic, while it declined elsewhere in the world, including the United States.
Canadian exports to China increased 37.8% in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the same period last year. Our goods are now moving more to China than they did before the pandemic.
That said, our trade and investment relationship is far from reaching its full potential, especially when you consider the alignment of our strengths with China’s plans and needs.
We must also keep in mind that other nations are rapidly increasing their trade activities with China. Despite the “trade war” between China and the United States, US exports to China are twice as high per capita as those to Canada. This year, China has become the European Union’s largest trading partner. In May, Australian exports to China increased 16% from last year. These nations also engage in dialogue at the highest hierarchical levels.
Canada cannot remain paralyzed by recent tensions.
Senior representatives of the Canadian and Chinese governments should resume dialogue and begin reconstruction. These discussions should quickly be followed by ministerial meetings between the two governments in different spheres of activity.
I remain optimistic about our ability to do things right. For the good of Canada and China, and with a view to facing together the global challenges of our era.
Let us not forget that in Mandarin the word “crisis” also means opportunity. Let us take this opportunity to turn this into an opportunity to rebuild our diplomatic relations, slowly but surely.
We have too much to lose if we don’t.
What do you think? Express your opinion