SARS

I may have been away from China, but I was not ignoring what was happening on the SARS front. For example, I noted a June 1 Reuters report which provided a summary of the cost in human lives of SARS in the PRC, to date. Beijing had so far been the most afflicted region: the greatest number of cases – 2,522 and deaths – 181. Guangdong, not surprisingly, was in second place, with 1511 cases and 57 deaths. Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Hebei and Tianjin had cases in the hundreds, and 127 deaths. Shanghai had recorded 8 cases and 2 deaths in total since the appearance of the virus. No doubt for this and related reasons – the economic ones were clearly behind this – the Shanghai Government on May 30th relaxed many of its travel bans and restrictions including rules on quarantines. The most significant openings allowed Shanghai-based companies to start returning to normal operations, meaning among other things that they would be able to send employees to formerly banned areas, to resume for example direct supervision of subsidiaries and resumption of marketing and sales operations. The US Chamber of Commerce had piled in by recommending that American companies resume their business activities, in conformity with the local government rules. Canadian companies would certainly follow suit.

The WHO’s Dr. Bekedam concurred, stating publicly that ‘the Chinese Government has put effective control measures in place’, acknowledging as well that SARS was ‘not as bad as initially feared’.

But it would take time to adjust to a post-SARS world. Thus, on June 5, the Embassy issued a press release announcing that Canada/CIDA was donating US$20,000 for SARS prevention in Mongolia, to be used to provide ‘material and technical inputs to improve the delivery of infection control and treatment services as Mongolia’s National Center for Communicable Diseases.’ CIDA of course did not have a program in Mongolia, but the spread of SARS allowed the use of funds for humanitarian purposes. And these funds would be put to good use by the NCCD.

Another SARS consideration: the Asia-Pacific Branch in Ottawa decided to nominate the 32 active members of the Embassy’s SARS team for the ‘2003 Head of the Public Service Award’, along with virtually every member of the Embassy, Canadians and LES, the Spouses and their families. We owed a great debt to our colleagues who had managed and implemented the in-house SARS response. These colleagues ranged from the Political and Trade Ministers at the top, to members of the Political-Economic-Public Affairs Section of the Embassy, the Medical unit, the Trade, Administration, Property, Consular and Immigration Sections. Thirty two people in all contributed their skills not only in taking care of us, but playing diverse roles in developing and implementing the SARS response:

SARS Contingency Group

Gordon Holden, Robert Mackenzie, Dennis Brown, Michael Martin, David Gauthier, Melissa Shepard-Legault, David Hamilton, Rouben Khatchadourian, Col. David Burke, Dr. Brian Dobbie, Jeff Nankivell and May Wong.

Political, Economic and Public Affairs

Jennifer May, Sing-en Tam, Nadia Burger, Wang Wei, Rebacca Clifford, Shou Guan Yuan, Joanne Gosselin.

Medical

Dominique Takotomanga

Trade

Wang Pei, Chen Qi

ELU

Troy Muller, Hang Fen Wei, Cao Chun Li

Property

Lucy Zia, Phillip Day

Consular

Jiang Chun Mei, Tian Ming

Immigration

David Manicom, Victor Kok, Pascale Garneau, Hélène Girard

I take this opportunity to once again thank everyone for their services. No member of the Embassy succumbed to SARS.

Wednesday, June 04

Media

We learn from Australian Embassy contacts that two journalists were detained in Chengdu earlier in the day by the Public Security Bureau. One of the two was Geoff York, Bureau Chief of the Globe and Mail in Beijing. The early report was to the effect that both the Australian and Yorke had been told to prepare and sign a statement – contents at this point unknown – after which they would be freed to continue their travels.

C/C Rels

While all of this is going on, detailed planning for the end-of-June visit of DFAIT Minister Graham is continuing, with much to-ing and fro-ing between the Minister’s office and the Embassy, from speech themes to official event menus.

The Minister’s delivery text would be finalized on the morning of the event. But already, some of the major themes were being considered: CIDA funds to respond to SARS in rural communities; the challenges of living in a global community, not limited to epidemics but including the environment, poverty, geopolitics and the role of global governance; human rights and human security; and of course Canada-China relations.

SARS

The relaxation of SARS travel and other restrictions continued apace. Our Shanghai Consulate reported that, what with local authorities and Health Canada lifting their travel rules, it was terminating its off-site work program and compensation for non-public transportation.   

These and other relaxation of rules gave additional impetus to the view that, at the macro-economic level, China’s economy would not suffer a decline: economic and trade growth were still on track. (Exempli gratia; imports from Canada were up 8% over the year and Chinese exports to Canada were up 35%!)

Friday, June 06

PDS

Meanwhile, the Public Diplomacy Strategy and policy initiatives kept moving forward.

One element sought to identify and list the PD targets of what we called the Canada 100, individuals in key positions, in government and the private sector, who were most important to the promotion of Canadian interests. The lists would also include individuals with a strong predisposition to Canada, based on past experiences and regular contact. Using a very broad definition of ‘Canadian connections’, the Public Affairs Section judged that about a quarter of the Officials in key positions could be considered ‘Friends of Canada’. Another consideration in targeting individuals was the necessity of maintaining key institutional relations. Added to this was an emerging list of individuals from media, academia, the publishing world who had a ‘right to speak’ and access to the press, TV and so forth.    

CanadaOutreach

The Asia Pacific Foundation was in full planning mode for its annual Asia Pacific Summit, scheduled for October in Toronto, focusing on the key theme of Foreign Direct Investment, including in and by Asian companies. Interestingly, this year’s event would focus the first day’s program on India. The world keeps turning.

I am invited by the APFC to participate in a ‘Heads of Post’ Roundtable, including my counterparts: Peter Sutherland, High Commissioner to India, Denis Comeau, Ambassador to Korea and Robert Wright, Ambassador to Japan. The APFC key request was for assistance in identifying, as presenters, top-level Chinese leaders from both government (e.g. the Chairman of the Chinese Securities Regulatory Commission?) and the private sector (suggesting the Chair of one of China’s most active foreign investment companies).

SARS

CIDA receives approval for a $5mm contribution to the World Bank/Ministry of Health SARS Program.

Saturday, June 07

Mongolia

We learn that Senate Speaker Dan Hays will lead a parliamentary delegation to Mongolia in early September, timed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Mongolia-Canada relations. This also ties in with the establishment in April of a Canada-Mongolia Parliamentary Group. The visit would also coincide with the 5th International Conference of New or Restored Democracies hosted by the Mongolian Parliament. Canadian Senators were expected to attend. Also related: the opening of Mongolia’s Consulate in Montreal.

Monday, June 09

SARS

Reflecting, no doubt, of some of the results of internal debates within the CCP and Government is a June 8 People’s Daily piece (‘op-ed’? a first?) addressing the government’s initial response to the crisis. If nothing else, it is the first clear sign of criticisms among the insiders of the Government’s performance. Under the headline “SARS, a Valuable Lesson for Chinese Government to Learn’. The editorial included lines such as:

  • ‘The SARS epidemic has been a salutary lesson for China. Admittedly, the spread of SARS has something to do with the initial belated reporting of the true situation and the negligence and dereliction of duty on the part of some government officials.’
  • ‘The belated, incomplete reporting resulted in the government’s failure to fully carry out its duties in the initial but crucial period of the SARS outbreak’.
  • ‘Modern forms of government are characterized by transparency and openness. The Chinese Government has not, in the past, been accustomed to public disclosure of its activities’.

…and so on, and so on. Of course, it’s all the fault of Government officials: not the Party, despite the blaring reality that the Government at most of its reaches is staffed by Party members, and is obliged to ‘follow the Party line’.

It goes on: ‘The report of the 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has stressed the government must serve its people’. One can speculate that the editorial’s writer – it turns out, an unidentified ‘researcher with Peking University’s School of Government Administration’ – is a loyal and rising Party member. A bright future beckons….

Tuesday, June 10

SARS

Embassy exchange with International SOS regarding our contract with the company for emergency evacuation services.

Education

Exchange with Bond International College regarding their partnerships with schools in Guangdon and Shandong, and plans for developing programs for professional training and continuing education.

Wednesday, June 11

SARS

Things are winding down, but SARS has not disappeared. Blessedly, and according to my notes, as of this day, no one from the Embassy family of 245 CBS and LES has succumbed to the epidemic.

Thursday, June 12

CCRels

Re the preparations for Minister Graham’s visit: an interesting sidelight about gifts from Minister Graham to his most senior hosts during the forthcoming visit to Beijing, these being Premier Wen Jiabao, Vice Premier Madame Wu Yi and Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing. The tradition is for Canadian gifts to the official hosts to be of Canadian art or handicrafts. Small gifts like key rings, pins and such are also given to the host country’s local staff engaged in the visits: drivers, security staff etc. Gifts to the visiting Minister’s counterparts are not presented directly but are left with the Embassy for subsequent transmission. Interestingly – and I can vouch for this – FM Li Zhaoxing was a dedicated poet, and published in both Chinese and English. It was suggested that his gift should be Canadian poetry.

I frankly don’t recall what was sent to him after Minister Graham’s visit, but I do remember that when Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Gaëtan Lavertu visited, at the outset of his meeting with Li, who was Deputy Foreign Minister at the time, Gaëtan presented him with one of Li’s poems, written in Chinese, by a Canadian artist. I can vouch for how impressed and appreciative VM Li was on this occasion. Truly a master stroke in gift giving.   

Admin

Not strictly an administrative matter but through events held by the Embassy Association, funds were collected for various charitable organizations. A letter from the Secretary General of the China Children and Teenagers’ Fund again seeks support for their program to ‘Bring Healthy Growth to Children in Rural Schools. I pass this on to the Embassy Association which determines eligibility.

BT&I

Letter from Randall Luecke, VP for Certification at the Canadian Standards Association confirming receipt of my letter and Embassy report regarding relations with the China National Certification Agency, confirming that the CSA will send a revised proposal to their Chinese counterparts in the coming weeks. We’ve done our job, and the CSA is doing theirs.

Friday, June 13

SARS

One of our LES displayed symptoms of a virus and was rushed to a nearby hospital. Some associated Staff members were sent home and disinfection measures were undertaken. Blessedly, the diagnosis determined that the Staff member did not have SARS.  

Monday, June 16

Email message to all DFAIT Staff from newly appointed Deputy Minister Peter Harder flagging some of the Departmental issues on the horizon, inter alia the transition from PM Chrétien to PM Martin and the requirement to be part of a government wide, medium term process of providing the new PM with policy options. One priority already identified by the future PM would be performance management, including training and development and succession planning. (Sounds exciting!)

SARS

The impact of SARS on China’s economy was becoming clearer: the impressive growth momentum of the 1st quarter of 2003 was such that despite the second quarter slowdown – the most impacted SARS period – the overall economy would achieve its 7% growth target. Business travel was resuming, and retail sales were recovering. Imports and exports continued to rise.

Hong Kong reports in detail the visit of WHO Infectious Diseases Executive Director David Heymann. His view regarding the current situation is to the effect that it isn’t over till it’s all over, but that as of this date, HK reported no new cases for four consecutive days, only 45 were still under treatment, including 15 in intensive care. Another indicative of the situation: the Ritz-Carleton was recovering from a 5% occupation rate to 25%, the effect of the CDC lifting its travel advisory.

Tuesday, June 17

But this was not the end of the Heymann story. On this day, Tuesday, the Toronto Star’s Martin Regg Cohn wrote a scathing report (dated June 18) on Canada’s travel advisory politics, quoting Heymann lashing out at Canadian politicians for lobbying in a ‘very inappropriate way’ to get a SARS travel advisory withdrawn in April. Heymann said that ‘Canada interfered with the crucial battle against SARS by distracting some top scientists from doing their duty’. The Star article is worth researching as it provides considerable detail about the politics of travel advisories. Who knew?

Wednesday, June 18

CIDA

We inform Department of International Trade and Economic Affairs Director General Yi Xiaozhun that CIDA would be making a contribution of C$5mm to the Ministry of Health’s National SARS and Infectious Disease Program, and that the public announcement of this contribution would be made during the forthcoming visit of DFAIT Minister Bill Graham.

Thursday, June 19

Mongolia

Chris Johnstone is reappointed as Honorary Consul in Ulaanbaatar for a further three years. I should perhaps point out that the ‘Honorary’ title does not mean that he is not compensated for his work.

Friday, June 20

CCRels

In advance of the Minister’s visit, I had chosen to exercise my ambassadorial prerogatives by writing him a pre-visit letter. I don’t recall if I had classified it or not, but here is the text:

Dear Minister,

            You have received extensive briefing materials preparatory to your visit to China and your meetings with some of China’s most important leaders.

            Permit me to sketch out a few additional ideas which, I trust, will inform our discussions on Sunday evening, as well as your exchanges on Monday.

Some background:

  • The assumption of power by the Chinese Communist Party in October 1949 was followed by tabula rasa exercise, as far as foreign relations were concerned: revolutionary China unilaterally abrogated over 1,250 treaties and agreements within weeks of the establishment of the PRC. Many of these had been imposed on China over the previous 100 years, beginning with the Treaty of Nanjing of 1841; Mao called it ‘sweeping kitchen’; these included a Sino-Canadian treaty with Republican China of 1944, in which we renounced extraterritorial rights!
  • In a sense, China has been rebuilding and remolding its foreign relations ever since.
  • Despite rather intimidating differences between our two countries and their history, there are a few interesting parallels between Canadian and Chinese foreign policy in the 20th century.
  • The architects of our respective and early foreign policies were limited in number, immensely influential and in power for a very long time: Borden, King, Loring Christie, Skelton, Pearson and Robertson in Canada (1921- early 60s); Mao, Zhou Enlai, Chen Yin, Deng Xiaoping in China (1940s to 80s). Thus, the power of strong individuals, and being present at the creation.
  • Early 21st century foreign policies in Canada and China are still beholden to key policy statements and directions set many years ago. For example, Foreign Policy for Canadians arguably still holds away in its emphasis on such enduring objectives as economic growth, peace and security, the promotion of social justice, the environment, etc.
  • In China, there are consistencies in post-49 foreign policies, this despite lurching from the pro-Soviet Union “lean to one side” strategy at the outset of the PRC, to the virulent anti-Soviet split of a decade later; from virtuous Non-aligned Movement rhetoric in Bandung in 1955, and subsequent support for revolutionary movements pledged to topple some of the very governments most supportive of the NAM; from the apocalyptic anti-western vehemence of the Cultural Revolution followed by globalization with a vengeance of the 80s and 90s.
  • The celebrated Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence formulated by Zhou Entai in 1954 retain elements of validity: sovereignty and territorial integrity (inspired by memories of colonialism – the Japanese had only been defeated 9 years earlier – and the unfinished task of reunification: HK and Macao returned but Taiwan not); non-aggression (given China’s very significant military vulnerabilities); non-interference in internal affairs (sensitivity to foreign criticism over Tibet and Xinjiang); equality and mutual benefit (reflective of Chinese nationalism and opposition to unilateralism of any stripe); peaceful coexistence (essential if China is to develop economically).
  • “Reform and opening”, post 1978 Deng Xiaoping’s greatest legacy, is still the bedrock of today’s foreign policy, because it is deemed the sole means of developing the economic strength essential to national power; this policy framework underpins a forward dynamic that is as much a commitment and process for continuing transformation of China’s economy and international relations, as a guide for specific policy tools; absent this commitment – repeatedly questioned by CCP conservatives and nationalists but reconfirmed with equal frequency – China would not today be the 6th largest economy in the world.
  • As PM Chrétien has overseen significant adjustments to Canada’s foreign relations in the last decade, Jiang Zemin has also shaped China’s advance on the world: from the Dengist dictum that China “should never take the lead, keep a low profile and watch changes with a cool head”, Jiang emphasized the role of great powers in shaping the international order. Thus, China has in fact taken the lead in shaping political and economic relations in South East Asia – a role once pursued with sporadic enthusiasm and indifferent results by Japan; it has created the Shanghai Cooperation Organization with Russia and five of the “Stans”, for promoting border security and economic cooperation; it has played up front and back room roles on the DPRK questions; it has become an engaged interlocutor in everything from the UNSC to the WTO and APEC; and it has prioritized relations first and foremost – and in the face of serious misgivings within some quarters of the CCP – with the US (for purposes of strategic cooperation and limiting the effects of US unilateralism, as well as access to the US market – US$100B trade surplus for China last year); with the EU (for markets, investment and technology), and Russia (for energy and military equipment).
  • From “reform and opening”, Jiang embraced economic globalization as a defining paradigm that would serve China’s development interests; one result is that over 50% of China’s international trade is conducted by foreign invested enterprises, and trade account for 44% of China’s GDP.
  • Jiang also promoted a series of “strategic relations” with a limited number of players it considers key to its interests, e.g. Japan (trade and investment), ASEAN (strategic economic ties), Australia (energy) and, of some interest to us, Canada.

Where we fit in:

  • as we have flagged in the draft of your speech to members of the foreign policy community in Beijing, China has defined a place for Canada in its world view. At a basic level, China’s leaders and MFA:
    • Seek to sustain a productive relationship with a traditional partner (1st new diplomatic tie developed after the worst excess of the Cultural Revolution).
    • Need the involvement of key Canadian companies in its modernization (e.g. Bombardier on rail and air transport; Celestica and GM Canada in transnational manufacturing networks; Nortel in telecoms etc);
    • See Canada as one (small) brick in the structure sparing China from unmanageable dependence on USA for markets, capital, S&T, management expertise;
    • Recognize Canada as a source of advice on economic governance and, to – admitedly – a limited extent, human rights and the rule of law;
    • Send their kids to Canadian schools and their families to tour natures riches comparable to their own;
    • And welcome or not, we and our unbiased legal system offer their only hope of getting back Mr. Lai Changxing

So we clearly on their radar screen. The quality of your reception alone attests to that.

As for future:

  • What about future course of Chinese policy, as it effects its foreign relations, and how will it affect our interests?
  • For all of his accomplishments, Jiang has left to his successors a fundamental challenge: how to become a global player consistent with China’s history, size and cultural legacy, in a word, how to be geopolitically powerful, a status that China is many years from achieving. It is clear that Hu Jintao and his colleagues in the fourth generation of leadership wish to pursue the established course to make China rich, respected and militarily significant. Whether in fact they can succeed in doing so is the key question, and one which you will want to ponder during your visit.
  • To be rich: China recognizes that it must develop an economic model that not only promotes growth but also shares the wealth. (At present, China’s GDP is the 6th in the world; however, per capita GDP in Beijing and Shanghai is RMB 26000, or $4400 in Cdn dollars. This is nine times the rate in the western province of Guizhou.) Wealth in China will have to incorporate a great deal of equity in its distribution. Only equitable distribution of income will ensure a strong domestic consumer market. Such a market will serve Canadian trade objectives by increasing the variety and competitiveness of goods and services sold to Canadians, as well as providing a broader market for Canadian business.
  • To be respected, China will also need the legitimacy conferred through democracy and human rights. China does not have representative institutions. Party officials cannot be removed by the people. There are no direct elections above the village level. There are no limits placed on the power of the Communist Party. Citizens’ rights are not protected. Rule by law, as opposed to rule of law, is the paradigm. Modern societies need to know what the people’s priorities are, not only those of bureaucratic politicians and civil servants. And they require the rule of law. The fourth generation, led by President Hu, has not been clear at all about whether and how it will face this challenge. The Canadian public expects Canada’s international partners to conform to basic HR and democratic norms. Until China adopts governance models more systematically reflective of the aspirations of the Chinese people, the benefits to Canada of relations with China can be hostage to the excesses of Chinese authoritarianism or worse.
  • To be powerful, China will seek greater military capacity. Its forces are seemingly large (2.4 million) but their tasks include domestic security and public works. Its military assets are not significantly larger than those of Japan, for example, and the latter has its alliance with the USA, with all that that brings. With a few exceptions, China’s equipment is archaic. Its most modern ships and aircrafts are from Russia, and its domestic production capacity is outmoded. As a beneficiary of Pax America in the Western Pacific, as a member of the UN Command for the Korean Armistice, and with a history of participation in both of the last wars in North East Asia, Canada has a stake – even if little influence – on the size, doctrine and purpose of the Chinese military on the periphery of the Mainland. Certainly, conflict in the region would be extremely deleterious to our interests.
  • Your visit to China comes at a very fortuitous time. Transition is the feature common to both the Canadian and Chinese political worlds today. (We can discuss China’s transition if you wish on Sunday evening.) Building on the legacies of Jean Chrétien, Jiang Zemin and Zhu Rongji is an imperative dictated by the fact that everything in China is political, not least relations between states and governments. Your visit, and those of Ministers Anderson, Dhaliwal and Pettigrew (the latter two not yet confirmed) and the Prime Minister’s scheduled (and 6th) visit in the Fall will renovate the structure of relations post 2003.
  • So, in the light of the above, and Canada’s objective of using foreign relations and foreign policy to promote our growth, our security and our values, our relations with China and your discussions should emphasize:
    • The essential role of the political leadership in shaping mutually beneficial relations between Canada and China;
    • Economic relations and investment, with emphasis on FDI in high technology, including transportation, communications, agriculture, services etc;
    • Expansion of trade;
    • Leverage ODA for the provision of governance tools in economic, political and social spheres of activity, in the support of rule of law and good governance;
    • Promotion of collaboration in multilateral fora, and the provisions of tools for China’s international vocation, such as PKO training;
    • Support for civil society and HR through sustaining linkages between political elites;
    • Expanding “intellectual linkages” through active education sector promotion and cultural exchanges;
    • Developing public diplomacy strategies to position Canada among China’s relevant elites, and within China’s emerging middle class.

            Minister, this outline is sweeping rather than succinct, but please consider it as a summary of some of the points we should be discussing during our visit.

            Thank for your attention.

Cordially,

Joseph Caron
Ambassador

I sent a note around to my CBS and LES colleagues, sharing the relief that the SARS situation had much improved and expressing the hope for a return to normal. I thanked the SARS Task Force, headed by Political Minister Gordon Houlden for its work to ensure the Embassy and its Staff would be well-protected, which they were.

BT&I

Letter from Chairman and CEO of AMR Technologies Inc explaining in detail a 17% VAT tax issue affecting Canadian rare earth producers in China and asking the Embassy to intervene with the Ministry of Commerce.

BT&I Agric

I address a letter to the Ministry of Agriculture’s Vice Minister Zhang Baowen, regarding certification of canola harvested during the fall season and for sale and shipment to China. New interim certification procedures regarding GMO products – including canola – had been put in place by the Ministry which potentially and seriously impede sale of the fall canola. This being a highly technical matter, it is illustrative of the types of issues for which the Embassy is called to intervene, and so I quote directly from the letter:

“I am writing to seek your urgent assistance on a matter which is very important to Canada concerning the recently announced extension to April 20, 2004 of the Interim Procedures for the importation of GMO products which include canola.

As we understand the situation, any Interim Certificates applied for at the present time only apply to shipments that arrive in China by September 20, 2003 and will not be valid for shipments made during the September 2003 – April 20 2004 period.

The Canadian canola harvest will commence in late August and to avoid any disruption, canola exporters have advised us that they will need to be able to apply for Interim Certificates which will be valid after September 20, 2003 by the end of this month (June 2003). This time period is necessary because it takes up to 30 working days to receive the Interim Certificate from your Ministry after which application must be made to AQSIQ for the quarantine permit which takes up another 30 days. May I suggest the following solutions…etc”

I will spare readers ‘the following solutions’ as they are as heavily technical as the original problem itself. I cannot assert that the problem was solved, but I am confident that it was, given the Chinese demand for canola, let alone Canada’s desire to sell it.

BT&I

Letter from AMR Technologies Chairman and CEO

Sunday, June 22

Arrival of DFAIT Minister Bill Graham and delegation.

Briefing session for the Minister and his accompanying delegation, including MP John Harvard, ADM David Mulroney, policy and communications advisors.

Monday, June 23

Speech June, 2003

Minister Graham Presentation

Minister Graham's presentation on June 23, 2003

Read PDF

CCRels

The Minister and his delegation had a fulsome program:

First off – and typical of Bill Graham the man – an informal gathering with the Embassy CBS and LES.

Meeting with Canadian media.

Luncheon meeting hosted by Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, followed by a working session at the MFA.

Meeting with State Counsellor and former Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan at the leadership compound at Zhongnanhai.

CCRels

Meeting with Premier Wen Jiabao.

Premier Wen, referring to the transfer of leadership to President Hu Jintao and his own appointment as Premier, reassures the Minister that the new leadership remains committed to its strong relationship with Canada. He commented that bilateral trade was increasing apace – it would total over $29B that year, imports from China accounting for about 80% of the total.

The PM and Minister discussed SARS briefly, agreeing that important lessons in public health management had been learned.

The Premier asked the Minister to extend his best wishes to PM Chrétien, and looked forward to his visit in the fall. Minister Graham said the PM would be raising the issue of nuclear cooperation and Canadian interest in selling two additional reactors. To which the Premier replied that there were good prospects for future economic and S&T collaboration between the two countries. Qinshan’s operations were going smoothly. Nuclear however was only a small contributor in relative terms, in the face of China’s need for additional energy sources.

Minister Graham raised the issue of attaining Approved Destination Status for Canada, expecting it to have a large commercial impact.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Premier Wen again assured the Minister that China wants to continue to work closely with Canada, with continuing expansion of bilateral ties.

That evening, I hosted at the St. Regis Hotel a banquet in honour of the Minister’s visit, with over 40 Chinese guests from the Foreign Ministry, the National People’s Congress, members of the Canada-China Legislative Association, the International Department of the Central Committee of the CCP, the Central Party School, the Ministry of Commerce, as well as assorted academics and the Canadian and Chinese media.

It was to this audience that the Minister addressed the gathering. The notes for his remarks which I have retained are above. It should be made clear that the Minister would not use these notes in their entirety. He would choose those components that best tie into the messages that he considers most important during this particular visit, those which he expects will convey to his most senior interlocutors, his priorities at this moment in the Canada-China relationship.

Quite the day, remembering as well that Minister Graham and delegation had arrived in Beijing the previous evening at 18.15. They would leave first thing the next morning for Tokyo and likely an equally gruelling program.

While the Minister had braved the last days of COVID, a conference I was invited to attend in Toronto had been cancelled in the face of the health risks. I don’t blame them for that. Indeed, I drew from my prepared remarks some of the comments I added in my letter to Minister Graham. Still, I think that my undelivered remarks are worth recording, given their theme: China in the short term, and China in the long. The text is as follows:

Tuesday, June 24

Speech June, 2003

June, 2003 Conference speech

Post SARS China

Read PDF

Arts

After seeing off the Minister and Del at the airport, back to the Embassy and a meeting with La La La Human Steps regarding their program in China.

Can’t say that the job didn’t provide a degree of variety.

Lunch with Howard Balloch for discussion regarding the Canada China Business Council.

Wednesday, June 25

Meeting re preparations for celebrating Canada Day, followed by other meetings with Staff.

Tourism

Meeting with Richard Liu of the Canada Tourism Commission re the CTC’s PR efforts (e.g. Beijing Television planned a program on the Calgary Stampede); a possible visit to Beijing in September of newly appointed CTC Chairman Charles Lapointe; the preparation of a Canada Calendar 2024, with the themes of Canadian cuisine and wines. The calendar would be graced with an eloquent message from yours truly.

Arts

Meeting with Staff re a promotional information package and CD being prepared to advertise Canadian pianist Martin Mayer in China.

Prov

Exchange with Municipal People’s Government of Changchun Mayor Zhu Yejing, who has invited me to attend the opening ceremony of the 2003 Changchun Economic and Trade Online Fair.

My schedule did not allow ‘attending the opening ceremony’. The nature of an ‘online fair’ suggested to me that attendance would be virtual and did not require that I make it to Jilin, but Mayor Zhu did not make that clear. I informed him that I had requested the Commercial Staff to attend. All this aside, I regret that I never made it to Jilin, nor to the many capitals, cities, and provinces of China. Four years is not enough.

CdaFund

Letter to the Secretary General, China Children and Teenagers’ Fund, Madame Cheng Shuqin. She wrote to introduce me and the Embassy to two of the Fund’s programs: Bring Healthy Growth to Children in Rural Schools, and a scholarship program. The CCTF sought Canadian support of one kind or other. She also mentions a scholarship program.

I responded, pointing to the similarity between the Fund’s objective and the Canada Fund, many of whose contributions parallel those of the CCTF. I wrote that the Canada Fund also forms partnerships with organizations that are able to provide scholarships, particularly for girls who are not currently attending school.  Partnerships also provided support to one long-term partner to build, refurbish or equip schools in poor areas. Given these parallel objectives, I introduced Madame Cheng to the Canada Fund Coordinator.

Evening: attended an event in honour of UNDP Resident Representative Ms. Kersin Leitner whose term in China was coming to an end.

Thursday, June 26

Meeting with Embassy Administration staff re financial accounts.

Meeting with Staff on forthcoming Charity Campaign.

Meeting with David Roberts, trade representative for New Brunswick, regarding promotional activities.

Meeting with Staff regarding the expected visit of members of the HofC’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, anticipated for late August. MP Mac Harb would lead the group. They would then proceed to Hong Kong. We discussed a possible meeting with members of the NPC Finance and Economic Committee.

SARS

In light of the facts that the WHO travel advisory had been lifted, as had that of Health Canada, we issued the post-SARS policies, including: no longer covering the cost of commuting by taxi, no longer distributing masks, no longer placing restrictions on personal and official travel within China (exceptions if local governments resumed the warnings) and so forth. However, we continued the newly established cleaning and disinfecting of public spaces practices, requesting that Staff with a fever remain and home and alert their supervisors, and so on.

I thanked all of the Staff for their high level of cooperation and professionalism throughout the SARS episode. ‘I am proud of the way that all of you carried yourselves and of the way that the Embassy continued to provide services to its clients’.

Friday, June 27

DFAIT

During the course of the past month, the Asia Pacific Branch conducted an exchange with our Missions on the strategic priorities to be pursued during the coming twelve month period. This was an annual exercise to which Beijing and all of our Missions in the AP region contributed. The result was a clear statement of the Branch priorities which would play out throughout the Asia Pacific region in the coming years.

The strategic objectives would surprise no one: strengthening economic, political and cultural relationships in the region, priority partners being China, Japan and India; promoting a security framework, one which, in the post-9/11 world in which we lived, required that we take into account an international environment paradigm including for example terrorism as a threat. Beyond the big three of C, J and I, greater diplomatic attention would be accorded to majority Islamic partners, notably Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan. 

The strategy also emphasized the need to build linkages with Asia’s new generation of leaders, not only politicians but key opinion ‘influencers’ (an early insight of the role of self-identified opinion makers on the internet?), as well as the usual targets in business, media and academe. The strategy also pointed homeward: telling Canadian the importance that the Asia-Pacific region had for Canada: trade of course, but also immigration, regional and global geo-politics, the infrastructure of the trans-Pacific movement of people and goods. The statement of priorities necessarily addressed the inescapable conundrum of the allocation of resources, human and budgetary.

What with its general macro-lines and descriptives, none of this ‘strategy’ would surprise anyone familiar with foreign policy setting at the ground level.

Education CIDA

Meeting with Education Minister Zhou Ji. Former Mayor of Wuhan, he would remain as Minister of Education from 2003 to 2009.

A graduate of Tsinghua and with a Ph.C. from The State University of New York, he is easy to remember, as I subsequently met him a number of times at Government and CCP events. My notes indicate that the Minister initially outlined the breadth of his and the Chinese education sector’s challenges, as one would expect of a population then officially stated as 1.3 billion. While all of this is interesting, the purpose of the meeting of course was to maintain access to him and his Ministry, to be called on as necessary to assist Canadian educational institutions in pursuit of partnerships with their Chinese counterparts. I began by providing a brief history of Canada/China relations in the education sector. Pointing to a C/C MOU on collaboration going back to the 1980s. On this was built an extensive series of CIDA cooperative programs valued at C$150mm over 20 years. In parallel, the number of Chinese students sent by China to Canada had increased significantly – including the large number who were allowed to stay in Canada following Tiananmen. During the early to mid-90s, demand for student visas to Canada again began to increase, up to 800 at the outset of the decade, and reaching 10,500 in 2002. The post-TAM decade saw 30,000 Chinese students coming to Canada.

Current cooperation achievements and activities included the following:

  • dozens of university/university joint programs;
  • cooperation with the China Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Development Center, charged at the time for verifying degree certificates in China;
  • Chinese and Canadian University Presidents meeting under the auspices of the AUCC and the China Association for International Exchange;
  • 30 years of Canada/China scholars exchanges.

We anticipated that these linkages would only increase with time. Indeed, Chinese students are easily the largest cohort of foreign students two decades later, at the time of this writing.

Media

Lunch with Céline Galipeau, broadcaster with CBC-RadioCanada.

Provided her with my perspectives on the state of Canada/China relations…which is what all media asked, not surprisingly, given China’s rapid economic and geopolitical evolution at the turn of the century, and efforts by Canada and other countries to keep up in the pursuit of national interests. Thinking back, it occurs to me that the geopolitics of China’s growth and anticipated rise was rarely on the media’s agenda.

Admin staff meeting on Embassy accounts.

CCRels

Letter to Senator Jack Austin informing him that CCLA Co-Chairman Lu Congmin would no longer be able to lead the Chinese delegation to Canada, and that the designated leader would be Vice-Chairman Liu Zhen. I also sent along a copy of FM Bill Graham’s speech. Similar letter to Senate Speaker Dan Hays who was scheduled to visit Mongolia in the fall. I planned to accompany.

CCRels

Letter to MFA Vice-Minister Zhou Wenzhong, thanking him for his considerable and effective efforts in arranging for DFAIT Minister Graham meetings not only with his counterpart Li Zhaoxing but also Premier Wen Jiabao as well as his friend of long standing, former Foreign Minister and now State Counsellor Tang Jiaxuan. I suggested to Vice Minister Zhou that we meet in the coming days to discuss follow-up to the visit, with focus on the coming round of senior Canadian visitors, starting with the Prime Minister in the fall, as well as cooperation effort in culture, technology and trade and economics.

Arts&Culture

Letter to Senator Vivien Poy.

I again sought her support for an initiative that encouraged Canadians of Chinese heritage with interest in the arts of becoming more involved in the art worlds of Canada and China. I also asked her to introduce me to ‘artists of excellence’ with whom I could introduce to the Canada Council. Finally, I suggested my interest in meeting members of the Chinese community in Toronto who would also be interested in developing C/C relations in the worlds of arts and culture.

Farewell dinner for the UN Resident Coordinator for China, Dr. Kerstin Leitner and Norwegian Ambassador Haakon Hjelde.

Monday, June 30

MAM

Meeting re Canada Day preparations.

Media

Interview with Hamish MacDonald, Sydney Morning Herald.

Meeting with Maurice Strong, CH2MHill re 2008 Olympics preparations sitrep.

Dinner with MFA Vice Minister Zhang Zhijun.

…and SARS was not on the agenda!

But still, post-SARS was the time to reflect on lessons learned. There was an active exchange between Ottawa and the Embassies where SARS definitely had been on the agenda. My own contribution to that exchange, which goes beyond the China experience, was as follows:

Message from Ambassador Caron

On return from leave, I have read with interest the exchange on “lessons from SARS”. Permit me to add a couple of points.

No one will dispute the fact that the spread of SARS has confirmed, if such affirmation is still necessary, that borders are a declining asset, keep fewer wolves at bay, and can work insidiously against interests of globalized counties such as Canada. Global institutions have to be made more effective if they are to play the multilateral roles for which they are ostensibly designed. But Jeremy (Kinsman) has pointed out, individual states must still take their responsibilities. The point is, many refuse to do so.

I am one who does not believe that the lessons China has retained from SARS are the ones that this exchange to date has insisted upon. The Chinese authorities, en connaissance de cause, took four months to come clean on SARS, and did so reluctantly and incompletely. The openness and transparency imperative, in our sense a necessary corollary to responsible governance, has not made much progress here, indeed, perversely, may have been set back because of SARS, something that can be observed by the truculent attitude of the research community, with respect to their research on the ethology and treatment of the disease. Nationalism is the priority: they are going to solve this, as much as possible, on their own, and reveal it to a grateful world as a not incidental sign of China’s world class medical research capacity. WHO or no WHO, China will proceed as it sees fit.

Many of the non-economic and negative ramifications of globalization can be seen to emerge from so-called failed states. Actually, these are generally “failed societies” in the modern sense, lacking the institutions and civic virtues necessary to transcend family and group and tribal values and interests, most often plagued by venal, self-interested leaders who never hesitate to use force. This is due in part to the fact that we have not found the means of integrating these countries into the international community, indeed have written off large swathes of the planet that, we assess, contribute little to our own welfare. That is, until they bite us, e.g. Afghanistan. Plus ça change. See Liberia, with US troops staying well off-shore and a Rumy statement that no significant US interests are engaged. Unless and until we decide to engage and find ways to integrate these countries fully in the international system, with something beyond ODA conscience money, they will continue to fail as states, doing what they do behind their borders, and affecting our health and happiness.

Finally, no matter what we do internationally, all politics is and remains local. We must have international strategies, for which we at DFAIT have the lead role, but we must also not hesitate to act and be seen as local, down-town Ottawa players who are as attuned to the domestic Canadian realities as to those beyond the borders. From what I could tell from distant Beijing and from speaking to visiting teams from Toronto and elsewhere in Canada, we in fact did bring both domestic and international agendas on the SARS issue to the various Ottawa tables.

My point intervening however is to reinforce the notion, aptly expressed in a recent set of briefs for Deputies, that multilateralism is not for its own sake. It is only one set of tools and cannot replace the capacity to act within our borders, even unilaterally, when it suits our purposes.

Caron