After four years on the job, China’s ambassador to Canada, Cong Peiwu, is leaving Ottawa.
During his posting, Canada-China relations lurched from crisis to crisis, spanning the ‘Two Michaels,’ COVID-19, disagreements over 5G, Huawei, and Hong Kong’s National Security Law, duelling sanctions, tit-for-tat expulsions, import restrictions, unsafe aerial intercepts, flyovers, and flares, a 200-foot-tall spy balloon, and now, Canada's foreign interference inquiry.
Cong wrapped on a tactful note, stating in his last media interview that “strained relations ... is actually not what we would like to see,” and noted his desire for “candid and constructive dialogue.” Cong's predecessor, Lu Shaye, was regarded as a combative ‘wolf warrior,’ and made headlines when he accused Canada of “egotism and white supremacy.” The stature and style of China’s next ambassador may reflect Beijing’s desired next steps for the bilateral relationship.
For now, relations seem to be inching towards an uneasy rapprochement: Canada’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, David Morrison, was sent to China last week for a meeting with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu. Ottawa has not formally announced Morrison’s trip nor issued a readout. A summary from Beijing merely noted that Morrison and Ma “exchanged views” on bilateral relations.
The under-the-radar visit, possibly setting the stage for a trip by Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly, is an example of what Joly labelled “pragmatic diplomacy” in a 2023 speech. In that address, Joly said: “We can’t afford to close ourselves off from those with whom we do not agree.”
Blinken visits China as TikTok teeters
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is also in China, where he’ll meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss military-to-military co-operation, artificial intelligence, stopping the flow of fentanyl into the U.S., and Washington’s concerns over Beijing’s continued support for Russia's war against Ukraine.
Blinken’s trip follows the passing by Congress of long-awaited foreign aid bills — including one containing billions of dollars for Taiwan — in addition to a bill that could ban or force the sale of TikTok in the U.S. within one year.
In September 2023, Ottawa initiated a national security review of TikTok, which is ongoing, and banned TikTok from government devices in February 2023.
China’s tech prowess
A day before the U.S. House of Representatives passed aid and other measures, Chinese President Xi Jinping inaugurated new army branches responsible for information, space, and cyber operations in China’s “most sweeping military reorganization in nearly a decade,” according to Nikkei. Xi said the updated Information Support Force in particular “bears a great responsibility for ... winning a modern war.”
The reorganization comes as U.S. officials warn of China’s technological prowess. Last week, FBI Director Christopher Wray said that Chinese hackers outnumber FBI cyber personnel by “at least 50 to 1,” and disclosed that the FBI uncovered “persistent PRC access” in American telecommunications, energy, and water sectors.
In February, the head of the U.S. Space Command said that Beijing is expanding its military space abilities at a “breathtaking pace.”
