Travel by parliamentarians and elected officials from the West has resumed in Taiwan, with the lull in the pandemic. That of American politician Nancy Pelosi provoked the ire of China this summer. The visit of Canadian MPs also drew condemnation from Beijing last week. But regardless of China’s military reactions and threats, Taiwan’s official representative in Canada insists that Western countries must not give in to Xi Jinping’s intimidation. And he would like to finally see a Canadian minister once again tread the soil of his island.
Canada has not sent a minister to Taiwan for over twenty years. The last to make the journey to Taipei was, in 1988, John Manley, then Liberal Minister of Industry.
“From Taiwan’s point of view, we would certainly like to see senior members of the Council of Ministers of Canada visit Taiwan at the appropriate time,” said the representative of the Economic and Cultural Office of Taipei in Canada, Harry Tseng, in an interview with The duty. “We can’t force anything. It takes two to waltz in diplomacy, ”he admits, however.
A parliamentary delegation was in Taiwan from 9 to 14 October. The five deputies notably met with the president, Tsai Ing-Wen, the vice-president, Lai Ching-te, and participated in the celebrations of the national day of Taiwan at the start of the trip.
Although China denounced the official trip, the reaction had nothing to do with the response that followed the visit of the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. The Chinese regime then conducted military exercises, including launching missiles towards the island. A “provocation […] unprecedented,” taunted the representative of Taiwan in Ottawa, during a recent interview with The duty in its offices, which overlook the Canadian Parliament.
Threats that bear fruit
However, the visit of an American politician like Mme Pelosi was nothing special, says Harry Tseng. US Health Secretary Alex Azar himself traveled to Taiwan during Donald Trump’s term in 2020. Canadian parliamentarians also traveled to Taiwan regularly before the pandemic, twice a year.
China, however, used this most recent American visit to show off its chest. And try to intimidate Western countries, denounces Harry Tseng, newly arrived in Canada at the end of August.
“If you give in to what upsets China, you kind of capitulate. China imposes this self-censorship on foreigners,” he lamented. “Many have been intimidated for several years by these possible responses from China. And we don’t think that’s healthy. We would dare to hope that the world stands up to defend its convictions. »
The American president, Joe Biden, had reported, before the departure of Mme Pelosi, that the military deemed his trip “not a very good idea right now.” Following this visit and the reactions of China, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this summer that Canada would ensure “that the parliamentarians who will make the decision to travel, or not, will do so while reflecting on all the consequences and all impacts.
However, these hesitations of the international community in the public square and these internal disagreements lead China to claim victory, according to Harry Tseng.
The Chinese government denounced the Canadian visit to Taiwan in a written statement. “China has always firmly opposed any official exchange between the Taiwan region and countries with diplomatic ties with China,” the embassy responded by email. “China will continue to take firm measures to defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and oppose interference by external forces in China’s internal affairs,” the warning read. . The Chinese regime considers Taiwan to be a breakaway province.
No other visit on the horizon
Representative Harry Tseng believes that a minister from Canada could very well go to Taiwan to deepen economic ties between Ottawa and Taipei.
However, his hopes may be disappointed. The office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, confirms that no ministerial visit is on the menu.
Former Canadian Ambassador to China Guy Saint-Jacques agrees that “in theory” Harry Tseng is right and that an economic visit might be appropriate. “But in practice, it is clear that after Nancy Pelosi’s visit, you have to reassess [la question]“, he adds in an interview.
If the United States can afford to offend Xi Jinping, Canada, being a middle power, does not have the same luxury. China might not hesitate to retaliate, as it did by detaining Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig for nearly three years to retaliate for the arrest of the Huawei finance executive who was the target of a US extradition request.
“A ministerial visit involves the government of the country. It’s a bit like a lightning rod,” illustrates Guy Saint-Jacques, who is now a fellow at the Institute of International Studies in Montreal.
A source at Global Affairs points out that Canada’s G7 allies are also not sending ministers to Taiwan. “Canada remains determined to develop unofficial but valuable ties with Taiwan on the economic, cultural and between our peoples,” says this person, who did not want to comment on the matter publicly.