We Don't Have to Trade With China

Who needs an oily paper tiger anyway?:

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland faces questioning by MPs over dealings with a Beijing bank dubbed a Communist Party front. Freeland had promised to suspend work with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank five months ago: “Where is our money?”  

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They weren't ignorant; they didn't care:

Canadian prime ministers were "ignorant" when they sought economic favour with China and fostered ties with a key political figure involved in Beijing's organ harvesting from Falun Gong prisoners of conscience, says a former RCMP director.

Garry Clement, a former national director of the RCMP Proceeds of Crime Program, made this remark during an event in Ottawa on Nov. 9 marking the launch of his new book, "Under Cover: Inside the Shady World of Organized Crime and the RCMP."

In the book, Mr. Clement recounted his three-year deployment to Hong Kong from 1991 to 1994. During this time, he gained insight into how Asian-based crime organizations that extend their operations to Canada are connected to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In particular, he developed an understanding of the Chinese transnational organized crime syndicates known as "triads" and how the CCP uses these gang members for extensive foreign interference and penetration into Canadian society.

"China, under the Chinese Communist Party, is essentially a criminal organization that represents a fundamental challenge to lawful societies around the world," he wrote, describing China's ruling elite as "the biggest transnational organized-crime group in the world."

He pointed to the regime's use of Chinese international students for intelligence gathering and Chinese immigrants to help maintain control over the Chinese diaspora. Threats involving organized crime noted in his book included the laundering of fentanyl-trafficking proceeds from China through casinos, real estate bought with the proceeds of crime, underground banks, and Chinese businesses being forced to pay protection to the triads.

However, despite warnings from intelligence officers, Canada missed numerous opportunities to halt Chinese espionage and other threats linked to the CCP, Mr. Clement said. He attributed this negligence, in part, to trade and the political belief that extending open arms to China were more important than the negative consequences for Canada as well as its Chinese diaspora.

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Why would we want the Chinese to tell us how to investigate their interference in our country and its political processes?:

A judicial inquiry into foreign interference today issues a call for participants in hearings. The Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference would not say whether it welcomed counsel from the Chinese Embassy: “Follow the evidence.”

 

Also - Justin's Chinese bosses are warning him not to publicise their interference:

China's ambassador to Canada says Ottawa's allegations of foreign interference in Canadian elections are hurting economic ties — but he insists his country isn't punishing Canada.

His comments come after years of diplomatic strain between the two countries.

Beijing detained Canadian citizens Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig from late 2018 until fall 2021.

China meanwhile imposed multi-year bans on Canadian imports of meat and canola.

And a year after the Canadian government named China as a disruptive global force and declared Beijing as responsible for attempts at foreign interference, the Chinese government left Canada out as it loosened restrictions on group travel.

Analysts argue those moves amount to economic coercion aimed at changing Canadian policies.

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The US is happy to forget what China is:

Nearly a year to the date since their last meeting, U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will sit down Wednesday in the San Francisco Bay Area to try and put a floor under ties marked by persistent tensions in recent months.

When Biden and Xi meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in San Francisco, both will have a laundry list of concerns to discuss. From military-to-military lines of communication, Taiwan and the South and East China seas to tough U.S. semiconductor export controls, the manufacture and export of fentanyl and artificial intelligence threats — all will be on the table during several hours of discussions.

But don’t expect the talks — the pair’s seventh interaction since the start of the Biden administration but just the second in-person meeting — to yield any dramatic breakthroughs.

While a grandiose joint statement is unlikely, Xi and Biden are likely to reach an agreement that would see China crack down on the manufacture and export of fentanyl, Bloomberg News reported. In addition, the two leaders could also agree to a ban on the use of AI in autonomous weapons, including drones, and in the control and deployment of nuclear warheads, the South China Morning Post reported, citing unidentified sources.

China has also signaled that it is now receptive to U.S. requests to reopen stalled military-to-military communications channels.

Beyond these deals and openings, however, officials and experts say this meeting will not be about “deliverables.” Rather, it will be a chance to clear up misperceptions in the bilateral relationship — and reassure nervous allies and partners that the world’s two largest economies are not on track for conflict.

“In terms of specific goals ... this is not the relationship of five or 10 years ago,” one senior U.S. official told reporters on condition of anonymity. “We’re not talking about a long list of outcomes or deliverables. The goals here really are about managing the competition, preventing the downside risk of conflict and ensuring channels of communication are open.

“We are going into the meetings with realistic expectations about what we’re going to achieve, but understanding that this is the responsible thing to do, it’s what our partners and allies need to see — this competition being managed responsibly,” the official added, saying that the U.S. was aiming “to create a framework for successful management of a difficult and complicated and complex relationship.”

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San Francisco has undertaken a significant effort to glam up streets ahead of a vital U.S.-China summit next week, including the removal of homeless camps around the city. 

"I know folks are saying, 'Oh they're just cleaning up this place because all those fancy leaders are coming to town.' That's true, because it's true — but it's also true for months and months and months before APEC [Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit], we've been having conversations," California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday at the unveiling of a new program to plant trees in urban neighborhoods.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed said the conference could help the city with an anticipated $53 million injected into the economy, according to FOX affiliate KTVU, adding that "tourism is our business here in San Francisco." 

KTVU noted that the efforts to clean the city have created "noticeable" cleanliness to the streets but also far fewer homeless encampments on major thoroughfares.