Chinese disruption ‘systematic,’ says report as minister returns to Canada – The National
Canadian researchers are calling for a more coordinated response from the G7 countries to combat “systematic” Chinese foreign interference, especially as technology and tactics evolve and Beijing’s agents become more entrenched in communities.
Wednesday’s report by the Montreal Institute for Global Security comes a day before Canada will host a Chinese foreign minister in Ottawa for the first time in a decade.
Speaking alongside the report’s authors on Parliament Hill, former MP John McKay urged Foreign Minister Anita Anand to raise the issue of foreign interference with her colleague Wang Yi during her visit.
“As this is an opportunity to reset our relationship between Canada and China, I hope that both ministers will take the opportunity to use that reset to end this level of interference,” he said.
McKay also asked reporters to press Anand and Wang on any commitments by the Chinese government to stop foreign interference in Canada.
During his last visit to Canada in late May 2016, Wang lashed out at a Canadian reporter who asked about human rights in China at a joint press conference with then-foreign minister Stephane Dion.
Global News asked Anand’s office and Global Affairs Canada whether foreign interference will be discussed.
The ministers are expected to discuss the recently updated Canada-China Strategic Partnership, as well as trade, investment and global security, according to a statement issued by Anand’s office last week.
Carney, who traveled to Beijing in January to cement the new deal, told reporters on Wednesday that he was looking forward to Wang’s visit and would meet him in person.
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He said the visit would provide “an important exchange of ideas.”
Kyle Matthews, executive director of the Montreal Institute for Global Affairs, said he and other experts support Canada’s pursuit of trade with China and other countries such as India that are accused of meddling in other countries, but “we will not be unreasonable.”
“We are dealing with states that have killed Canadian citizens, tortured Canadian citizens, stolen our valuable assets,” Matthews said.
“We have economic interests to promote. However, we will not be blind.”
Dan Stanton, a former head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service who is now director of the national security program at the University of Ottawa, said the federal government needs to make it clear to Canadians – especially communities living outside – that it still recognizes the dangers of foreign interference.
“Canadians need to understand that the government is not forgotten, people trust, and the government will still hold the countries accountable for what they do,” he said.
The report focuses on covert influence campaigns
The report draws on open source research and interviews to present studies of Chinese interference in each of the G7 countries: Canada, the US, the UK, Italy, Germany, France and Japan.
Special attention is given to the China Ministry of Labor of the United Front, a report that states that it directs a broad environmental program of politics, business, education, media and civil society in democratic countries.
Although those groups operate officially and often pursue formal relations, the report’s authors say they pursue long-term narrative influence that advances China’s interests abroad.
“It’s like the ancient Chinese game of ‘wei chi,'” said Marie Lamensch, director of international affairs at the Montreal Institute for Global Security. “It takes a long time, it’s flexible, and the government takes its time.”
The report also included examples in European countries of politicians being targeted for influence campaigns from national to local levels.
In another study carried out in Italy, this report describes a city agreement between the small Italian municipality of Asti and Nanyang, a Chinese city with more than a million people, which came after an increase in business and trade exchanges between officials and a trip to China by the authorities of Asti.
The report describes the relationship as “surprising” given Asti’s economy is based on wine and tourism, while Nanyang’s focus is on advanced industries such as artificial intelligence. The agreement has since led to plans for a leading Chinese monitoring company to assess future projects in Asti, according to the report.
Lamensch said G7 universities are also at risk of collaborating with Chinese academics and schools that, although legal and legitimate, are run for private purposes. Britain is at great risk, he noted, as it has become more reliant on foreign students since Brexit.
The report also includes incidents of repression in other countries, including the intimidation of the Chinese diaspora through so-called “police stations” set up in Canadian cities and other methods.
The authors argue that intelligence sharing, a register of foreign influence, and coordinated national strategies for managing foreign relations across society are necessary to counter China’s influence activities.
Matthews said the report acknowledges that it is a “difficult time for the G7” given the “flare” created by the US under President Donald Trump, and the broader global climate.
However, he added, “We must continue to work with our other important economic and democratic partners to work to protect our democracy from Chinese interference and influence.”
“It’s a big problem.”
-via files from The Canadian Press
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