Uyghurs Could Get Asylum
Author: Jew Mark | Posted at: 19:33 | Filed Under: Government, Politic |
Cambodian authorities say they won't repatriate a group of asylum-seekers if they could be mistreated.
AFP
A Uyghur man walks past armed Chinese security forces in Urumqi, July 17, 2009.
PHNOM PENH—Cambodia may not repatriate a group of asylum-seekers if they are to face capital punishment or torture back in China, a Cambodian spokesman said.
Khieu Kanharith, government spokesman and minister of information, said in an interview that the fate of the 22 ethnic Uyghurs hinges on whether and how the Chinese government intends to punish them in connction with deadly ethnic riots in July.
“There are several issues [to consider],” Khieu Kanharith said.
“For a criminal issue we would send them back. But for a political issue we would consider differently,” he said. “For a criminal issue, if it is serious to the point that they would have to be executed, we might not send them back because we don’t have capital punishment [in Cambodia],” he said.
The minister said that no decision had been made because the Cambodian government has yet to be contacted by the Chinese Embassy.
Smuggled into Cambodia
Twenty-two Uyghurs—a predominantly Muslim minority concentrated in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR)—have sought protection from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, according to Uyghur sources in Asia, who asked not be to named.
The Uyghurs are currently in the care of international Catholic organization the Jesuit Refugee Service, which declined to comment on the status of the group.
They fear being returned to China, which has close ties with Cambodia, Uyghur sources said.
This group, which includes two young children, was smuggled across the border from Vietnam into Cambodia, they said.
Only four members of the asylum-seekers agreed to be named.
They are Mutellip Mamut, who was born on July 10, 1980, Islam Urayim, born July 16, 1980, Hazirti ali Umar, born June 7, 1990, and Aikebaierjiang Tuniyazi, born Feb. 13, 1982.
Seeking asylum
The UNHCR has no offices in Vietnam, so anyone seeking asylum as a refugee must find a way into Cambodia, where it does operate.
UNHCR and Cambodian officials in Phnom Penh declined to comment on the case, although it has been learned that the UNHCR has met with the Uyghurs several times in small groups.
Repeated calls to the U.S. Embassy during working hours went unanswered.
According to a statement by the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress, exiled Uyghur leader Rebiya Kadeer and the organization’s general secretary Dolkun Isa are to meet officials at UNHCR headquarters in Geneva to discuss the Uyghur case in Cambodia.
Beijing accuses Kadeer of fomenting the July 5 violence in the XUAR capital, Urumqi, which was sparked after a peaceful protest about the deaths of Uyghur migrants in a factory in southern China turned into clashes with police.
Kadeer has accused the authorities of firing on unarmed protesters in Urumqi, sparking days of retaliatory rioting, burning, and mob violence from both Uyghur and Han Chinese ethnic groups in the city.
Uyghur detentions
Clashes first erupted between Han Chinese and ethnic Uyghurs on July 5, and at least 200 people were killed, by the government’s tally.
According to Uyghur sources in Asia, China has tightened its southeastern border after several groups of Uyghurs managed to bribe their way into Vietnam and then Cambodia to avoid possible detention for allegedly taking part in July 5 ethnic riots.
The sources said Chinese authorities have detained 31 Uyghurs since Sept. 15 in the southern cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou and in the central city of Kunming, either for trying to flee the country or for allegedly aiding others in fleeing China.
A Chinese court sentenced three Uyghurs to death Friday for their alleged involvement during the rioting, bringing the number of death sentences in connection with the incident to 17.
New York-based Human Rights Watch said it has documented the disappearances of 43 men and boys in the Xinjiang region, but that the actual number of disappearances is likely far higher.
Police have meanwhile detained more than 700 people in connection with the unrest, according to earlier state news reports.
Uyghurs, a distinct and mostly Muslim ethnic group, have long complained of religious, political, and cultural oppression by Chinese authorities, and tensions have simmered in the Xinjiang region for years.
Original reporting by Chea Sotheacheat, Vuthy Huot and Chung Ravuth for RFA’s Khmer service. Khmer service director: Sos Kem. Translated by Sos Kem. Additional reporting by RFA's Uyghur service. Uyghur service director: Dolkun Kamberi. Written for the Web in English by Joshua Lipes. Edited by Sarah Jackson-Han.
by http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/faceexecution-12042009171220.html
Friday, December 4, 2009
Mississauga youth host families in transition
Mississauga youth host families in transition
Friday, 04 December 2009
Written by Natasha Milavec, Youth Speak News,
Views : 23
Alimu and Aliya Abulimiti, a Uyghur couple currently residing in the transitional housing program at Sojourn House, pose during the performance of their wedding dance, which is a part of Uyghur culture. (Photo by Natashya Caleon)
MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - When asked about the conflicts she faced in her home country of Nigeria, J.P., who did not wish to disclose her full name, was shaken up in discussing an unjust past she has worked hard to put behind her. Hers is a story of courage and determination shared by 135 refugees who attended the seventh annual Family Faith Night dinner and talent show at St. Marcellinus Catholic Secondary School Nov. 26.
J.P. came to Canada in 2001, a process that was far from easy. Along with her two sons, Kenny, seven, and Alex, 12, J.P. found support and comfort in Sojourn House, a “short-term shelter for refugees who have no option to stay somewhere decent, and a transitional house that provides a longer-time stay for refugees who have experienced trauma,” said Everton Gordon, the shelter manager.
J.P. is very grateful for the shelter.
“I feel safe,” she said. “They helped me a lot. I am so happy there. I have two boys; they are happy in Sojourn House.”
Nashwa Tawfiq, a Sojourn House staff member, said there are “a whole wide variety of people at Sojourn House who come for a wide range of reasons; political, religious, domestic violence or sexual orientation,” to name a few. “Everybody is grateful and appreciative of the time, effort, and generosity that go into planning this event and putting it together,” Tawfiq said. “It is a good way to celebrate the season and has become a tradition.”
The talent show included a blend of student and guest performances. A crowd favourite was Alimu and Aliya Abulimiti, a Uyghur couple who performed their wedding dance and a cultural belly dance. The couple is from an area in East Turkestan, but are currently residents of the transitional housing program at Sojourn House.
After the show, a dinner of chicken, rice, vegetables and salad was served, prepared by the school’s hospitality class and teacher Michael Begin.
Student volunteers at the event are members of the chaplaincy team at St. Marcellinus and were seated among the refugees, listening to their stories. Grade 10 student Huda Hajjaj, who moved recently from Kuwait but is originally from Palestine, said she volunteered to “get to know people from different places.” Monika Sidhu, also a Grade 10 student, volunteered at the event in order to “help out your community,” she said.
S.C., who also does not wish to disclose his full name, sat beside Hajjaj and shared his story. He has been in Canada for one-and- a-half years and left Pakistan because of “religious problems,” he said. His journey to Canada was difficult. “Adjustment is hard,” said S.C., who misses Pakistan.
“The night gives refugees a glimpse of beautiful people and Christ-like love in their lives that they have not experienced in a long time. Catholic schools can teach the Gospel in their classrooms but events like these show how the Gospel should be taught, by action,” said Shane Byrne, chaplain at St. Marcellinus.
Family Faith Night was an immersion of people once separated by borders, geographical, political and spiritual. The Christ-like love shared between guests and students was a testament to family and faith.
(Milavec, 16, is a Grade 11 student at Father John Redmond Catholic Secondary School.)
http://www.catholicregister.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3664&Itemid=857
Tories declare diplomatic victory despite China's rebuke
Tories declare diplomatic victory despite China's rebuke
Government says tourism deal will pave the way for a big increase in Chinese visitors to Canada. Though Harper didn't garner a major breakthrough, his visit raises hope that the relationship can be mended
Share with friends
Campbell Clark
Ottawa — From Friday's Globe and Mail
Published on Thursday, Dec. 03, 2009 9:31PM EST
Last updated on Friday, Dec. 04, 2009 8:31AM EST
The federal Tories insisted Thursday that Prime Minister Stephen Harper scored a diplomatic victory in his first visit to China, despite an embarrassing exchange in which China's Premier rebuked him for neglecting relations between the two countries.
Mr. Harper walked away from the meeting with several small agreements and one sought-after prize: Canada's long-standing request to be granted approved destination status, a designation that will pave the way for a projected 50-per-cent increase in Chinese tourism here by 2015. But before China granted this status, its Premier, Wen Jiabao, admonished Mr. Harper for taking so long to visit, noting that a Canadian leader hadn't made a trip to China in five years.
“Five years is too long a time for China-Canada relations and that's why there are comments in the media that your visit is one that should have taken place earlier,” Mr. Wen said.
In Mr. Harper's first few years in power, the Chinese were annoyed by his complaints about the secret trial of Uyghur-Canadian dissident Huseyin Celil; his assertion that he would not sell out human rights to the “almighty dollar”; and especially the reception of the Dalai Lama.
Diplomats in the Foreign Affairs Department who pushed for a friendlier tone were mistrusted, but Mr. Harper also faced internal pressure to make a visit from former trade minister David Emerson, former public works and trade minister Michael Fortier, and his former top civil servant, clerk of the Privy Council Kevin Lynch.
“I've been pushing for it endlessly and with great frustration, but now it's there,” Mr. Emerson said Thursday. “He has been afforded the opportunity to start to engage, and I think a symbolic and substantive signal is that we're getting approved destination status. I think that's a huge signal that the relationship is going to be re-energized.”
Over the past year, Mr. Harper has dramatically changed approach: He avoided criticism of China, his Foreign Minister said Beijing had progressed on human rights, and a long list of ministers visited to thaw ties.
Listen to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's statement
Download (.mp3)
The approved destination status allows Canada to market tourism in China, and for Canadian tour operators to do business there, opening the door for the projected increase in Chinese tourism here. It is not the billion-dollar deals the Chinese have signed with other leaders, but still resolves what Gordon Houlden, director of the University of Alberta's China Institute, said was a persistently knotty problem when he served as a diplomat in Beijing from 2001 to 2004.
Mr. Martin's Liberal government struck an agreement in principle to get the status, but didn't complete the details before losing power.
“I think Canada is the last nation in the whole globe to get this. There's no other country left,” remarked Tommy Yuan, president of the Canada-Asia Business Network.
While opposition politicians contended that the awkward rebuke to Mr. Harper showed that relations remain frosty because of him, Conservatives dismissed the public friction as meaningless when weighed against the tourism agreement.
“The reality is that our government has managed to achieve what previous Liberal governments couldn't and I don't know how many visits there were between prime ministers Chrétien and Martin,” said Conservative Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.
John Ibbitson on the Chinese Premier's rebukeThe Globe's Ottawa Bureau Chief on the public scolding of Canada's Prime Minister
Download (.mp3)
Veteran China watchers, however, landed somewhere in the middle. They said Mr. Harper has not made a massive breakthrough, but also played down fears that the Sino-Canadian relationship is irreparably damaged.
The net message, said Peter Harder, president of the Canada China Business Council and former deputy minister of foreign affairs, is straightforward: “You have to work at this relationship.”
In Vancouver, political commentator Gabriel Yiu pointed out that there is a contingent of Canada's Chinese-language media on the trip, and said the Chinese rebuke to Mr. Harper is unlikely to hurt the Conservatives' effort to make electoral inroads into the traditionally Liberal Chinese-Canadian community.
“Every day, he's getting two to three pages of coverage in those papers. Yes, there might be a slight negative impact [from Mr. Wen's criticism], but compared to the big wave of coverage in the Chinese-language media, I think the spin will be praise for this historic trip.”
With reports from Jane Taber in Ottawa and Rod Mickleburgh in Vancouver
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/tories-declare-diplomatic-victory-despite-chinas-rebuke/article1388003/
Government says tourism deal will pave the way for a big increase in Chinese visitors to Canada. Though Harper didn't garner a major breakthrough, his visit raises hope that the relationship can be mended
Share with friends
Campbell Clark
Ottawa — From Friday's Globe and Mail
Published on Thursday, Dec. 03, 2009 9:31PM EST
Last updated on Friday, Dec. 04, 2009 8:31AM EST
The federal Tories insisted Thursday that Prime Minister Stephen Harper scored a diplomatic victory in his first visit to China, despite an embarrassing exchange in which China's Premier rebuked him for neglecting relations between the two countries.
Mr. Harper walked away from the meeting with several small agreements and one sought-after prize: Canada's long-standing request to be granted approved destination status, a designation that will pave the way for a projected 50-per-cent increase in Chinese tourism here by 2015. But before China granted this status, its Premier, Wen Jiabao, admonished Mr. Harper for taking so long to visit, noting that a Canadian leader hadn't made a trip to China in five years.
“Five years is too long a time for China-Canada relations and that's why there are comments in the media that your visit is one that should have taken place earlier,” Mr. Wen said.
In Mr. Harper's first few years in power, the Chinese were annoyed by his complaints about the secret trial of Uyghur-Canadian dissident Huseyin Celil; his assertion that he would not sell out human rights to the “almighty dollar”; and especially the reception of the Dalai Lama.
Diplomats in the Foreign Affairs Department who pushed for a friendlier tone were mistrusted, but Mr. Harper also faced internal pressure to make a visit from former trade minister David Emerson, former public works and trade minister Michael Fortier, and his former top civil servant, clerk of the Privy Council Kevin Lynch.
“I've been pushing for it endlessly and with great frustration, but now it's there,” Mr. Emerson said Thursday. “He has been afforded the opportunity to start to engage, and I think a symbolic and substantive signal is that we're getting approved destination status. I think that's a huge signal that the relationship is going to be re-energized.”
Over the past year, Mr. Harper has dramatically changed approach: He avoided criticism of China, his Foreign Minister said Beijing had progressed on human rights, and a long list of ministers visited to thaw ties.
Listen to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's statement
Download (.mp3)
The approved destination status allows Canada to market tourism in China, and for Canadian tour operators to do business there, opening the door for the projected increase in Chinese tourism here. It is not the billion-dollar deals the Chinese have signed with other leaders, but still resolves what Gordon Houlden, director of the University of Alberta's China Institute, said was a persistently knotty problem when he served as a diplomat in Beijing from 2001 to 2004.
Mr. Martin's Liberal government struck an agreement in principle to get the status, but didn't complete the details before losing power.
“I think Canada is the last nation in the whole globe to get this. There's no other country left,” remarked Tommy Yuan, president of the Canada-Asia Business Network.
While opposition politicians contended that the awkward rebuke to Mr. Harper showed that relations remain frosty because of him, Conservatives dismissed the public friction as meaningless when weighed against the tourism agreement.
“The reality is that our government has managed to achieve what previous Liberal governments couldn't and I don't know how many visits there were between prime ministers Chrétien and Martin,” said Conservative Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.
John Ibbitson on the Chinese Premier's rebukeThe Globe's Ottawa Bureau Chief on the public scolding of Canada's Prime Minister
Download (.mp3)
Veteran China watchers, however, landed somewhere in the middle. They said Mr. Harper has not made a massive breakthrough, but also played down fears that the Sino-Canadian relationship is irreparably damaged.
The net message, said Peter Harder, president of the Canada China Business Council and former deputy minister of foreign affairs, is straightforward: “You have to work at this relationship.”
In Vancouver, political commentator Gabriel Yiu pointed out that there is a contingent of Canada's Chinese-language media on the trip, and said the Chinese rebuke to Mr. Harper is unlikely to hurt the Conservatives' effort to make electoral inroads into the traditionally Liberal Chinese-Canadian community.
“Every day, he's getting two to three pages of coverage in those papers. Yes, there might be a slight negative impact [from Mr. Wen's criticism], but compared to the big wave of coverage in the Chinese-language media, I think the spin will be praise for this historic trip.”
With reports from Jane Taber in Ottawa and Rod Mickleburgh in Vancouver
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/tories-declare-diplomatic-victory-despite-chinas-rebuke/article1388003/
PM doesn't shy away from human rights in China
PM doesn't shy away from human rights in China
CTV News Video
CTV News: Robert Fife in Shanghai
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's speech to Chinese business leaders in Shanghai focused mainly on promoting investment in Canada's energy industries. The speech also touched on China's human rights issues.
Power Play: Warren Kinsella and Tim Powers
A Liberal strategist says Harper's trip to China is not going very well because Canada has had China in the 'deep freeze' over the last four years, while a Conservative strategist says Harper has not shied away from human rights talks.
Canada AM: Elliot Tepper, Carleton University
A politics professor explains why with diplomatic scolding behind them, China's leaders are sending signals it now considers perceived slights by Canada a thing of the past with the hope the two countries can re-establish mutual trust.
Power Play: PM scolded by Chinese officials
Former Conservative foreign affairs minister David Emerson and former Canadian ambassador to the EU Jeremy Kinsman discuss the importance of Canadian-Chinese relations.
Power Play: MPs discuss Harper's visit
NDP MP Paul Dewar, Conservative MP Diane Ablonczy and Liberal MP Scott Brison talk about whether or not Prime Minister Stephen Harper's trip to China has been a success so far.
CTV News Channel: Paul Evans, University of B.C.
The director of UBC's Institute of Asian Research explains why the chiding of Prime Minister Stephen Harper by Chinese officials was to be expected.
CTV News Channel: Pierre Pettigrew
A former foreign affairs minister reacts to Harper being publically shamed for waiting too long to make his high-profile trip to China.
Watch: See all Videos in the Player
Prime Minister Stephen Harper makes a speech at the Canada-China Business Council and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, China on Friday, December 4, 2009. (Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
View Larger Image
More on this topic
In Pictures: Harper in China
CTV.ca News Staff
Date: Fri. Dec. 4 2009 7:11 PM ET
Prime Minister Stephen Harper received silence from Chinese business leaders when he told them Canada would continue to bring up human rights issues and not stay quiet in exchange for stronger economic ties between the two countries.
"In relations between China and Canada, we will continue to raise issues of freedom and human rights," he in a speech in Shanghai Friday.
"Our government believes and has always believed that a mutually-beneficial economic relationship is not incompatible with a good and frank dialogue on fundamental values like freedom, human rights and the rule of law," Harper said.
This part of the speech, part of Harper's first-ever visit to China, was greeted with silence from the businessmen, who had applauded his earlier focus on trade progress and an announcement Canada would open up four new trade consulates.
Former Conservative MP John Reynolds, now a businessman who spends three months a year in China, told The Canadian Press that the Chinese would not be put off by the comments.
"They understand Canada is a friend, they understand we have resources they need and that we can do business both ways," he said.
"Every country says that (about human rights). Fact is, trade has not suffered and this visit will be like a rocket shot to everybody."
NDP leader Jack Layton said Harper should not lecture China on its human rights record, considering the questions raised over whether Canada transferred prisoners to Afghan authorities where they were tortured.
"I think you always have to be careful when you live in a glass house when it comes to throwing stones," Layton told reporters in Winnipeg Friday.
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said Harper should have visited China earlier, saying the prime minister has a lot of "repair work" to do on Canada's relationship with China.
"We've all had a wake up call in Canada about how important China is and Mr. Harper has taken a very long time to wake up," Ignatieff said.
In the rest of his speech, Harper said Canada and China both have much to gain from a stronger economic partnership, especially in the energy business.
He told the business leaders that Canada is rich in oil, natural gas and uranium that China can use to fuel its own economic growth.
He also said Canadian businesses can help China shift toward green energy.
He told the leaders that investing in Canada is good business, because of falling taxes and low government debt.
Earlier in the day, Harper met with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Thursday and trumpeted several diplomatic victories, despite a couple of awkward moments.
Harper, who is travelling with his with Laureen, was scolded by Wen for the fact that five years have passed since a Canadian prime minister has visited China.
Wen later gave Chinese media and a TV station interviews where he blamed the Harper government for the damaged relations.
"We are reluctant to see Canada alienate us in recent years," Wen was quoted as saying by the official China Daily. "That has hampered our trade and personal exchanges."
"I hope the visit can solve the problem of mutual trust."
In return, Harper noted that no Chinese leader had visited Canada over the same period of time.
Despite Wen's upbraiding, Harper managed to achieve Canada's longstanding desire for approved destination status from Beijing -- a shift that is expected to substantially boost Chinese tourism to Canada. He also achieved several other small victories, such as the lifting of the Chinese ban on Canadian pork products.
Canada-China relations have been tense in recent years. Beijing has also been frustrated by Ottawa's complaints about the treatment of Uygher-Canadian dissident Huseyin Celil.
Official newspapers say Harper slighted the Chinese government by refusing to attend the 2008 Beijing Olympics, in addition to embracing the Dalai Lama's criticism of the treatment of people in Tibet.
The China Daily did acknowledge that Harper was making headway in trying to "warm up cool to icy ties."
CTV News Video
CTV News: Robert Fife in Shanghai
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's speech to Chinese business leaders in Shanghai focused mainly on promoting investment in Canada's energy industries. The speech also touched on China's human rights issues.
Power Play: Warren Kinsella and Tim Powers
A Liberal strategist says Harper's trip to China is not going very well because Canada has had China in the 'deep freeze' over the last four years, while a Conservative strategist says Harper has not shied away from human rights talks.
Canada AM: Elliot Tepper, Carleton University
A politics professor explains why with diplomatic scolding behind them, China's leaders are sending signals it now considers perceived slights by Canada a thing of the past with the hope the two countries can re-establish mutual trust.
Power Play: PM scolded by Chinese officials
Former Conservative foreign affairs minister David Emerson and former Canadian ambassador to the EU Jeremy Kinsman discuss the importance of Canadian-Chinese relations.
Power Play: MPs discuss Harper's visit
NDP MP Paul Dewar, Conservative MP Diane Ablonczy and Liberal MP Scott Brison talk about whether or not Prime Minister Stephen Harper's trip to China has been a success so far.
CTV News Channel: Paul Evans, University of B.C.
The director of UBC's Institute of Asian Research explains why the chiding of Prime Minister Stephen Harper by Chinese officials was to be expected.
CTV News Channel: Pierre Pettigrew
A former foreign affairs minister reacts to Harper being publically shamed for waiting too long to make his high-profile trip to China.
Watch: See all Videos in the Player
Prime Minister Stephen Harper makes a speech at the Canada-China Business Council and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, China on Friday, December 4, 2009. (Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
View Larger Image
In Pictures: Harper in China
CTV.ca News Staff
Date: Fri. Dec. 4 2009 7:11 PM ET
Prime Minister Stephen Harper received silence from Chinese business leaders when he told them Canada would continue to bring up human rights issues and not stay quiet in exchange for stronger economic ties between the two countries.
"In relations between China and Canada, we will continue to raise issues of freedom and human rights," he in a speech in Shanghai Friday.
"Our government believes and has always believed that a mutually-beneficial economic relationship is not incompatible with a good and frank dialogue on fundamental values like freedom, human rights and the rule of law," Harper said.
This part of the speech, part of Harper's first-ever visit to China, was greeted with silence from the businessmen, who had applauded his earlier focus on trade progress and an announcement Canada would open up four new trade consulates.
Former Conservative MP John Reynolds, now a businessman who spends three months a year in China, told The Canadian Press that the Chinese would not be put off by the comments.
"They understand Canada is a friend, they understand we have resources they need and that we can do business both ways," he said.
"Every country says that (about human rights). Fact is, trade has not suffered and this visit will be like a rocket shot to everybody."
NDP leader Jack Layton said Harper should not lecture China on its human rights record, considering the questions raised over whether Canada transferred prisoners to Afghan authorities where they were tortured.
"I think you always have to be careful when you live in a glass house when it comes to throwing stones," Layton told reporters in Winnipeg Friday.
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said Harper should have visited China earlier, saying the prime minister has a lot of "repair work" to do on Canada's relationship with China.
"We've all had a wake up call in Canada about how important China is and Mr. Harper has taken a very long time to wake up," Ignatieff said.
In the rest of his speech, Harper said Canada and China both have much to gain from a stronger economic partnership, especially in the energy business.
He told the business leaders that Canada is rich in oil, natural gas and uranium that China can use to fuel its own economic growth.
He also said Canadian businesses can help China shift toward green energy.
He told the leaders that investing in Canada is good business, because of falling taxes and low government debt.
Earlier in the day, Harper met with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Thursday and trumpeted several diplomatic victories, despite a couple of awkward moments.
Harper, who is travelling with his with Laureen, was scolded by Wen for the fact that five years have passed since a Canadian prime minister has visited China.
Wen later gave Chinese media and a TV station interviews where he blamed the Harper government for the damaged relations.
"We are reluctant to see Canada alienate us in recent years," Wen was quoted as saying by the official China Daily. "That has hampered our trade and personal exchanges."
"I hope the visit can solve the problem of mutual trust."
In return, Harper noted that no Chinese leader had visited Canada over the same period of time.
Despite Wen's upbraiding, Harper managed to achieve Canada's longstanding desire for approved destination status from Beijing -- a shift that is expected to substantially boost Chinese tourism to Canada. He also achieved several other small victories, such as the lifting of the Chinese ban on Canadian pork products.
Canada-China relations have been tense in recent years. Beijing has also been frustrated by Ottawa's complaints about the treatment of Uygher-Canadian dissident Huseyin Celil.
Official newspapers say Harper slighted the Chinese government by refusing to attend the 2008 Beijing Olympics, in addition to embracing the Dalai Lama's criticism of the treatment of people in Tibet.
The China Daily did acknowledge that Harper was making headway in trying to "warm up cool to icy ties."
China's show of pique
China's show of pique
Published On Fri Dec 04 2009
If Prime Minister Stephen Harper was taken aback by China's jab at him yesterday for waiting "too long" to visit, he shouldn't have been. As Liberal foreign affairs critic Bob Rae noted, Harper invited an "unprecedented public rebuke" by letting relations "fester" for four years. The Chinese felt neglected. Yesterday, they paraded their pique.
While Harper brought this awkwardness on himself by obtusely neglecting a $53 billion trade partner, our second largest, Beijing won't win friends among ordinary Canadians by taking an undiplomatic poke at our PM during an official visit. That will just get a hockey-playing nation's elbows up. China's leaders are no saints themselves.
The best that can be said of their chiding welcome is that it legitimizes some blunt talking from the Canadian side the next time our interests diverge. That's a useful take-away for a Prime Minister who is still on a steep learning curve in foreign affairs. China's leaders speak loudly, even hector, when their interests are at stake. They have now licensed us to be no less forceful.
Even so, it would be wrong to exaggerate this show of irritation.
Apart from some bad Chinese press reviews, Harper got a red-carpet reception. And the leader who matters most, President Hu Jintao, the head of state, was nothing but the gracious host. While he noted, twice, that this was Harper's first visit, he welcomed it as "of great significance." And he promised that "China is ready to work with Canada" to strengthen our 40-year record of friendly and cooperative ties. Officials will meet in the new year to discuss, among other issues, trade and investment, energy and resources, infrastructure, telecoms, transport, high tech and financial services.
It fell to Premier Wen Jiabao, China's number two leader, to put its irritation on the record. "Five years (between high contacts) is too long a time for China/Canada relations," he chided. "And that is why there are comments in the media that your visit is one that should have taken place earlier." That would be the state-controlled media.
Yet Wen then softened the jab by expressing the hope that "the China/Canada relationship will turn a new page" despite friction over fugitive Lai Changxing, Huseyin Celil, the Dalai Lama and human rights.
And knowing that Canada is worth courting, China's leaders made sure Harper doesn't head home with nothing but lost face in tow.
They announced that they finally are making Canada an "approved destination" for business, tourism and students. That could be worth $100 million to our tourism sector, Ottawa says. The Chinese are also opening a new consulate in Montreal to foster stronger "people to people" contacts. They have eased an import ban on Canadian pork worth $50 million. And both sides have agreed to beef up exchanges of green technologies, to work out a deal to better protect Canadian investors and to step up cooperation in science and agriculture.
Despite the touch of frost, this makes for a productive trip. It pales beside former Liberal leader Jean Chrétien's energetic Team Canada missions, which produced billions of dollars in deals. But it gets the relationship moving in the right direction again.
Published On Fri Dec 04 2009
If Prime Minister Stephen Harper was taken aback by China's jab at him yesterday for waiting "too long" to visit, he shouldn't have been. As Liberal foreign affairs critic Bob Rae noted, Harper invited an "unprecedented public rebuke" by letting relations "fester" for four years. The Chinese felt neglected. Yesterday, they paraded their pique.
While Harper brought this awkwardness on himself by obtusely neglecting a $53 billion trade partner, our second largest, Beijing won't win friends among ordinary Canadians by taking an undiplomatic poke at our PM during an official visit. That will just get a hockey-playing nation's elbows up. China's leaders are no saints themselves.
The best that can be said of their chiding welcome is that it legitimizes some blunt talking from the Canadian side the next time our interests diverge. That's a useful take-away for a Prime Minister who is still on a steep learning curve in foreign affairs. China's leaders speak loudly, even hector, when their interests are at stake. They have now licensed us to be no less forceful.
Even so, it would be wrong to exaggerate this show of irritation.
Apart from some bad Chinese press reviews, Harper got a red-carpet reception. And the leader who matters most, President Hu Jintao, the head of state, was nothing but the gracious host. While he noted, twice, that this was Harper's first visit, he welcomed it as "of great significance." And he promised that "China is ready to work with Canada" to strengthen our 40-year record of friendly and cooperative ties. Officials will meet in the new year to discuss, among other issues, trade and investment, energy and resources, infrastructure, telecoms, transport, high tech and financial services.
It fell to Premier Wen Jiabao, China's number two leader, to put its irritation on the record. "Five years (between high contacts) is too long a time for China/Canada relations," he chided. "And that is why there are comments in the media that your visit is one that should have taken place earlier." That would be the state-controlled media.
Yet Wen then softened the jab by expressing the hope that "the China/Canada relationship will turn a new page" despite friction over fugitive Lai Changxing, Huseyin Celil, the Dalai Lama and human rights.
And knowing that Canada is worth courting, China's leaders made sure Harper doesn't head home with nothing but lost face in tow.
They announced that they finally are making Canada an "approved destination" for business, tourism and students. That could be worth $100 million to our tourism sector, Ottawa says. The Chinese are also opening a new consulate in Montreal to foster stronger "people to people" contacts. They have eased an import ban on Canadian pork worth $50 million. And both sides have agreed to beef up exchanges of green technologies, to work out a deal to better protect Canadian investors and to step up cooperation in science and agriculture.
Despite the touch of frost, this makes for a productive trip. It pales beside former Liberal leader Jean Chrétien's energetic Team Canada missions, which produced billions of dollars in deals. But it gets the relationship moving in the right direction again.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Harper, Chinese leader both complain of too lengthy absence
Harper, Chinese leader both complain of too lengthy absence
PM's boyhood dream to visit China
BY DAVID AKIN, CANWEST NEWS SERVICE DECEMBER 3, 2009 1:40 PM
STORYPHOTOS ( 4 )VIDEO ( 2 )
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife Laureen pose as they tour the Badaling section of the Great Wall in Beijing December 3, 2009.
Photograph by: Jason Lee, Reuters
BEIJING — China's most popular politician publicly rebuked Prime Minister Stephen Harper for long ignoring China while Harper privately challenged China's top leaders on their human rights record.
But after discussions that Harper described as "frank and respectful," the leaders of both countries issued a joint statement that they say heralds "a significant new era" in relations between China and Canada.
As a tangible sign of renewed goodwill towards Canada, China announced it will open a new consulate in Montreal and it gave Canada approved destination status, something Ottawa had been seeking for more than a decade, that will make it easier for Chinese tourists to visit Canada.
That decision alone could mean more than $100 million annually in new business for Canada's ailing tourism industry and is particularly timely ahead of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
"The public rebuke shows that there's work to do on Canada's part," said NDP Leader Jack Layton. "The new tourist designation and the consulate in Montreal are an important gesture by the Chinese, now it's our turn."
Liberal MP Bob Rae, his party's foreign affairs critic, says a tourism deal is long overdue.
"We've paid a price," Rae told reporters outside the House of Commons. "The fact is we've paid a price for four years of not just living on the margins but actually deliberately disregarding china. This was not benign neglect.
"This was a deliberate decision on (Harper's) part to ignore the relationship and to assert that it had no particular importance for him."
More than 134 countries already have China's approved destination status and are reaping the Chinese tourism windfall because of it. Tourism industry associations estimate that by 2020, there will be more than 100 million international Chinese tourists. Only 159,000 Chinese tourists visited Canada in 2008.
But that decision surprised some observers here who believed that Harper's visit to China — the first by a Canadian prime minister since Paul Martin's in 2005 — would only be a first step towards an agreement on approved destination status.
Martin initialed exactly the same ADS agreement with China during a visit to Beijing in 2005 and also trumpeted it to the media travelling with him, but political problems ensued and it was never implemented. Canada is the last major western nation to be granted ADS.
The Chinese government, through the state-controlled media here, ran articles and editorials as Harper arrived noting with disapproval that, although he was elected in 2006, he had never visited China and was the last G8 leader to do so.
Indeed, that sore spot was Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's starting point for his hour-long meeting with Harper.
"This is your first trip to China and this is the first meeting between the Chinese premier and the Canadian prime minister in almost five years. Five years is too long a time for China-Canada relations and that is why there are comments in the media that your visit is one that should have taken place earlier," said Wen, who is the country's second most powerful politician after President Hu Jintao.
The premier's words were unusually strong for the man who is considered to be the "nice guy" in the Chinese government and is often referred to as Grandfather Wen.
Both the state-owned media in China, as well as independent media in Canada, had criticized Harper for waiting until he was nearly four years into his term before visiting Canada's second-largest trading partner after the United States.
But Harper replied that no Chinese leader has visited Canada in five years, either.
Harper did say he has enjoyed his brief time in China.
"I've been wanting to visit China since I was a small boy," Harper told Hu.
Before his meetings with Hu and Wen, Harper and his wife Laureen visited the Great Wall, an experience he said was "unbelievable."
In separate private talks with both Wen and Hu, Harper pressed the case of Huseyincan Celil, a Uyghur imam of dual Chinese and Canadian citizenship, Canwest News Service has learned.
Celil was arrested in 2006 while visiting Uzbekistan and subsequently deported to China, where he had been convicted in absentia of terrorism and sentenced to life in prison. Canadian officials believe that, not only did he not receive a fair trial but that the Chinese have mistaken him for someone else and that he should be returned to Canada.
No Canadian consular official has yet been able to visit Celil.
"I brought up some of our more general concerns, also our specific cases as well," Harper told reporters after his meetings. "We always make sure that when we bring up these matters — whether they refer to particular cases you're aware of that have been discussed from time to time or whether they are broader questions such as the situation in Tibet, we always bring these up in a way that is frank and is at the same time respectful of Chinese sovereignty."
The joint 14-point statement issued by both countries included a section on human rights.
"Both sides acknowledged that differing histories and national conditions can create some distinct points of view on issues such as human rights," the statement said. "The two sides agreed to increased dialogue and exchanges on human rights, on the basis of equality and mutual respect, to promote and protect human rights consistent with international human rights instruments."
A top issue for China is the repatriation of its "most wanted man," Lai Changxing, who is currently living in Vancouver. Lai became implicated in a smuggling and corruption scandal in the late 1990s, although he maintains he is innocent.
Some of those convicted in China in connection with the same scandal have been executed.
China has promised not to execute Lai if he is deported.
"The government of Canada has been seeking his extradition," Harper said. "I know this has been an irritant in some circles of the Chinese government but, of course, we do have an independent court system and the courts so far have not been accepting of our desire to have him extradited but both we and the government would like to see Mr. Lai extradited and we will keep up our efforts in that regard."
In the joint statement, both countries "reaffirmed their intention to strengthen co-operation on combating transnational crime and repatriating fugitives in accordance with their respective laws."
Harper and Hu also agreed to being a series of meetings between high-level bureaucrats — deputy ministers in Canada — to discuss a broad range of topics including trade and investment, energy and environment, health and governance.
On Friday, Harper will visit the Forbidden City here before flying to Shanghai where he is scheduled to deliver a major speech to a business audience there.
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
PM's boyhood dream to visit China
BY DAVID AKIN, CANWEST NEWS SERVICE DECEMBER 3, 2009 1:40 PM
STORYPHOTOS ( 4 )VIDEO ( 2 )
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife Laureen pose as they tour the Badaling section of the Great Wall in Beijing December 3, 2009.
Photograph by: Jason Lee, Reuters
BEIJING — China's most popular politician publicly rebuked Prime Minister Stephen Harper for long ignoring China while Harper privately challenged China's top leaders on their human rights record.
But after discussions that Harper described as "frank and respectful," the leaders of both countries issued a joint statement that they say heralds "a significant new era" in relations between China and Canada.
As a tangible sign of renewed goodwill towards Canada, China announced it will open a new consulate in Montreal and it gave Canada approved destination status, something Ottawa had been seeking for more than a decade, that will make it easier for Chinese tourists to visit Canada.
That decision alone could mean more than $100 million annually in new business for Canada's ailing tourism industry and is particularly timely ahead of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
"The public rebuke shows that there's work to do on Canada's part," said NDP Leader Jack Layton. "The new tourist designation and the consulate in Montreal are an important gesture by the Chinese, now it's our turn."
Liberal MP Bob Rae, his party's foreign affairs critic, says a tourism deal is long overdue.
"We've paid a price," Rae told reporters outside the House of Commons. "The fact is we've paid a price for four years of not just living on the margins but actually deliberately disregarding china. This was not benign neglect.
"This was a deliberate decision on (Harper's) part to ignore the relationship and to assert that it had no particular importance for him."
More than 134 countries already have China's approved destination status and are reaping the Chinese tourism windfall because of it. Tourism industry associations estimate that by 2020, there will be more than 100 million international Chinese tourists. Only 159,000 Chinese tourists visited Canada in 2008.
But that decision surprised some observers here who believed that Harper's visit to China — the first by a Canadian prime minister since Paul Martin's in 2005 — would only be a first step towards an agreement on approved destination status.
Martin initialed exactly the same ADS agreement with China during a visit to Beijing in 2005 and also trumpeted it to the media travelling with him, but political problems ensued and it was never implemented. Canada is the last major western nation to be granted ADS.
The Chinese government, through the state-controlled media here, ran articles and editorials as Harper arrived noting with disapproval that, although he was elected in 2006, he had never visited China and was the last G8 leader to do so.
Indeed, that sore spot was Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's starting point for his hour-long meeting with Harper.
"This is your first trip to China and this is the first meeting between the Chinese premier and the Canadian prime minister in almost five years. Five years is too long a time for China-Canada relations and that is why there are comments in the media that your visit is one that should have taken place earlier," said Wen, who is the country's second most powerful politician after President Hu Jintao.
The premier's words were unusually strong for the man who is considered to be the "nice guy" in the Chinese government and is often referred to as Grandfather Wen.
Both the state-owned media in China, as well as independent media in Canada, had criticized Harper for waiting until he was nearly four years into his term before visiting Canada's second-largest trading partner after the United States.
But Harper replied that no Chinese leader has visited Canada in five years, either.
Harper did say he has enjoyed his brief time in China.
"I've been wanting to visit China since I was a small boy," Harper told Hu.
Before his meetings with Hu and Wen, Harper and his wife Laureen visited the Great Wall, an experience he said was "unbelievable."
In separate private talks with both Wen and Hu, Harper pressed the case of Huseyincan Celil, a Uyghur imam of dual Chinese and Canadian citizenship, Canwest News Service has learned.
Celil was arrested in 2006 while visiting Uzbekistan and subsequently deported to China, where he had been convicted in absentia of terrorism and sentenced to life in prison. Canadian officials believe that, not only did he not receive a fair trial but that the Chinese have mistaken him for someone else and that he should be returned to Canada.
No Canadian consular official has yet been able to visit Celil.
"I brought up some of our more general concerns, also our specific cases as well," Harper told reporters after his meetings. "We always make sure that when we bring up these matters — whether they refer to particular cases you're aware of that have been discussed from time to time or whether they are broader questions such as the situation in Tibet, we always bring these up in a way that is frank and is at the same time respectful of Chinese sovereignty."
The joint 14-point statement issued by both countries included a section on human rights.
"Both sides acknowledged that differing histories and national conditions can create some distinct points of view on issues such as human rights," the statement said. "The two sides agreed to increased dialogue and exchanges on human rights, on the basis of equality and mutual respect, to promote and protect human rights consistent with international human rights instruments."
A top issue for China is the repatriation of its "most wanted man," Lai Changxing, who is currently living in Vancouver. Lai became implicated in a smuggling and corruption scandal in the late 1990s, although he maintains he is innocent.
Some of those convicted in China in connection with the same scandal have been executed.
China has promised not to execute Lai if he is deported.
"The government of Canada has been seeking his extradition," Harper said. "I know this has been an irritant in some circles of the Chinese government but, of course, we do have an independent court system and the courts so far have not been accepting of our desire to have him extradited but both we and the government would like to see Mr. Lai extradited and we will keep up our efforts in that regard."
In the joint statement, both countries "reaffirmed their intention to strengthen co-operation on combating transnational crime and repatriating fugitives in accordance with their respective laws."
Harper and Hu also agreed to being a series of meetings between high-level bureaucrats — deputy ministers in Canada — to discuss a broad range of topics including trade and investment, energy and environment, health and governance.
On Friday, Harper will visit the Forbidden City here before flying to Shanghai where he is scheduled to deliver a major speech to a business audience there.
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
2/3 Canadians urge PM to focus on China’s human rights, not trade: poll
2/3 Canadians urge PM to focus on China’s human rights, not trade: poll
Posted on Wednesday, December 2, 2009 · 2 Comments
PMO release
Sigh… what can I say? Sometimes I really don’t understand my fellow Canadians. Why are Canadians always one step behind the rest of the world? Is it because our country is too cold so our people don’t travel outside of North America to see the rest of the world?
With an obvious shift of western media obsession on the “China threat” theory and the retrieve of the once mainstream China-bashing rhetoric, I can only hope that over time, Canadians will slowly come to understand the modern China better-informedly.
Canadians Urge for Focus on Human Rights as Prime Minister Visits China
Angus Reid release – Two-thirds of respondents think Canada should not seek free trade agreements with countries that have dubious human rights records.
As Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrives in China for a four-day visit, a large majority of Canadians believe the federal government should concentrate on human rights when it comes to bilateral ties, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,006 Canadian adults, 63% of respondents believe Canada should put more emphasis on human rights and minority rights, regardless of the economic implications.
Just over a third of respondents (37%) believe Canada’s long-term policy with China should focus on the trading relationship, regardless of the human rights situation in China.
While those concerned primarily with human rights in China continue to outnumber the proponents of trade, this month’s survey does show a 13-point shift towards trade since an Angus Reid poll conducted in April 2007, when the trial and sentence of Chinese Canadian Huseyin Celil dominated the airwaves.
Two-thirds of Canadians (68%) believe Canada should not seek free trade agreements with developing countries that have dubious human rights records. The level of agreement with this notion has dropped by five points since July 2007, when Canada was discussing a free trade agreement with Colombia.
The prospect of a free trade deal with China is not an overwhelmingly popular idea for Canadians, with 42% perceiving this possibility as a threat to the Canadian economy from foreign imports, and 37% believing it would be an opportunity for economic growth through increased Canadian exports.
Albertans are more likely to perceive free trade with China as an opportunity (52%) while Quebecers (48%) are more likely to regard it as a threat.
Analysis
While trade with China has become a more important issue in the past two years, a majority of Canadians continue to advocate for an emphasis on human rights. China, at this point, is seen as more of a threat in the field of international commerce, a perception that is very different from the perceived benefits a free trade deal with India would bring to Canada.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)