A Canadian federal agency says Taiwan is a province of China
A week in review: Sunday edition on Canada's Parliament
Happy Sunday, China watchers. We hope you are having a good weekend. As promised, this is our weekly post on what Canadian politicians are saying about China.
Here’s a breakdown of today’s post:
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research calls Taiwan a province of China
Conservatives around the world use China in their climate change arguments
A Uyghur protest in Ottawa gets the attention of a Quebec Liberal
An Ontario Conservative is wary of Canada’s ability to protect the far north
More calls for the human organ trafficking bill to pass from CPC
China’s zero-COVID policy is affecting the global economy
Foreign Affairs
A federal agency that labels Taiwan as a province of China is on the hot seat
Who said what
Conservative MP Michael Cooper raised concerns about the lack of response from government officials towards the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s (CIHR) mislabelling of Taiwan as a province of China.
“Madam Speaker, last November, I copied the ministers of health and foreign affairs on a letter that I wrote to the president of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, which falls under the purview of the Minister of Health, regarding the CIHR's blatant mislabelling of Taiwan as a province of China.”
Cooper said a Taiwanese scholar doing research in Canada told him that anyone applying for funding through the CIHR is asked to indicate their nationality using country codes published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The ISO lists Taiwan as a province of China, making it the only option available for Taiwanese applicants when indicating their nationality.
“This is not a new issue. This has been going on for years, and it has been repeatedly brought to the attention of the Liberal government, including by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office. Why the inaction? When will the Minister of Health finally get around to directing the CIHR to stop this blatant mislabelling of Taiwan?”
In response to Cooper, the government revealed the agency’s recent action on the issue and reiterated its commitment to the ongoing research collaborations with Taiwan.
Here’s the response from Hon. Mark Gerretsen, parliamentary secretary to the leader of the government in the House of Commons:
“Our government recognizes the strengths of Taiwan in matters of science, technology and innovation. The government is also aware of the issue of concern regarding the classification of Taiwan in the Canadian Common CV system used by Canada's federal research funding agencies and administered by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, or CIHR.”
(The Canadian Common CV is an application system where researchers can upload their CV information to get funding from a network of federal, provincial and non-profit research funding organizations.)
“However, the CIHR has had discussions on the matter of concern with key partners, including Global Affairs Canada and other federal stakeholders. As a result, CIHR is now actively implementing the change to Taiwan in its system to ensure ongoing alignment with Canada's foreign policy and government-wide data standards.”
The government didn’t provide a deadline on when the implementation would be completed.
“Let me also emphasize that in the promotion of funding programs and its other engagements, CIHR has referred to and will continue to refer to our partner by the name of “Taiwan” simply. It is my hope that our ongoing partnership with Taiwanese counterparts, driven by our common values and shared priorities, will continue to yield impactful results for our collective health, well-being and prosperity.”
Cooper then expressed his disappointment at the Liberal’s delayed action on the matter.
“As we explore and pursue solutions, we will also continue to strengthen the federal government's cooperation with Taiwan in matters of scientific research and collaboration, based on our shared values and common principles,” said Gerretsen.
A little more on ISO
ISO is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 167 governmental bodies in different countries around the world, including China. The organization develops international standards, including how countries are designated, via its various technical committees (TC). The Chinese government is the most active member in terms of TC participation.
Taiwan has been listed as ISO366 “Taiwan (Province of China)” since 1974.
A report by the German Marshall Fund, a U.S. think tank, argued that the ISO naming standard is part of an organized campaign by the People’s Republic of China to “reinterpret the UN's stance on Taiwan based on the “One China” Principle.” The CCP’s campaign, according to the report, aims to spread the fallacy that UN member states consider Taiwan a part of the PRC. ISO’s naming, said the report, has led many international organizations and multinational corporations to adopt the same language.
Taiwan has made unsuccessful attempts to change how it’s named under the ISO guidelines.
It’s not just the feds. The University of British Columbia had also adopted ISO naming standards before reversing its stance under diplomatic pressure in 2020.
The university’s media relations director said using ISO standards “is not indicative of the university taking a position regarding Taiwan.”
Carbon Tax
A global trend where the Conservatives play the China card in climate change debate.
Who said what
Newly-minted Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre mentioned China while discussing the opposition’s motion to eliminate the government’s plan of tripling the carbon tax.
Poilievre argued that if the government wanted to cut carbon emissions, expanding liquefied natural gas (LNG) production locally is a better alternative to hiking taxes.
“According to Rob Seeley, president of E3Merge Consulting, ‘for every unit of GHGs that British Columbia produces to get that LNG to market, the overseas production of GHGs goes down by a factor of 10.’ In other words, by replacing foreign coal-fired with our Canadian energy, we can reduce emissions.
“Further, this same expert said: Shipping LNG at design capacity from Kitimat to displace coal-generated electricity in China would reduce global GHG emissions by 60 to 90 million tonnes annually, equivalent to the annual production of GHGs in all of B.C…Would that not be something? What an achievement that would be.”
He later implied that producing minerals needed for manufacturing electric-vehicle batteries could also “protect our environment.” But Canada’s approval of mineral mining projects is slow.
“The reason countries like Chile, China and others are mining and manufacturing these minerals into a ready state in which they can go into batteries and other electrification is that they have faster approvals.”
China was mentioned again by another Conservative MP, James Bezan, as he supported Poilievre’s motion.
“What happens with this model of carbon taxing and tripling the carbon tax is that we are putting the local farmer at a huge disadvantage and allowing individuals who are producing in non-regulated countries around the world, such as those in Latin America, those in South America and China, to bring those food products here. That, to me, is unconscionable.”
A far-right politician miles away has recently played the China card, too.
Last month in Italy, Matteo Salvini, leader of the country’s right-wing League, brought up China while calling on Italians to vote on the European Union’s decision to eliminate carbon emissions from new cars by 2035.
“Let the workers of the Mirafiori plant and from all over Italy decide if it’s fair to fire people in Italy and give China an advantage,” he said
Salvini’s party is in alliance with Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy which won the recent general elections.
Human Rights
The Uyghur Advocacy Day rally on Monday, while it didn’t receive any media attention, gained some traction in the Parliament.
Who said what
From Quebec Liberal MP Sameer Zuberi:
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to sound the alarm on the critical situation of the Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples in Xinjiang, China. Today, the National Council of Canadian Muslims and the Canadian Uyghur community have organized a Uyghur advocacy day on the Hill.”
Zuberi then went on to mention the recent UN report on the human rights abuse against Uyghur Muslims in China’s northwestern region of Xinjiang.
“Following the UN report, our foreign affairs minister said two things: that Canada will work with the international community to hold China to account; and that forced labour in supply chains will be addressed.”
A little more on Zuberi. He is the chair of the Subcommittee on International Human Rights and has been outspoken on the plight of Uyghur Muslims since 2020. Zuberi joined a panel with three Uyghur activists in a discussion about the UN report on Wednesday.
National Defence
A CPC member warns a frail national defence might invite China interference in the Arctic.
Who said what
From Conservative MP in Ontario Cheryl Gallant:
“When Canada lost the capabilities of the Canadian Airborne Regiment, the Liberal Party was in effect inviting other countries, such as China, to take over Canada’s far north. The fact our Arctic sovereignty is at risk was recently recognized by NATO. It is about time the federal government recognized the risk in Canada’s far north.”
More on the China-Canada tension over the Arctic
Gallant was referring to the news reports about NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's recent visit to Canada’s Arctic. In his visit, Stoltenberg underlined the threats to the region posed by Russia and China, citing a list of actions Moscow has taken in the Far North in cooperation with Beijing.
The Arctic is an area of key strategic importance for Canada, particularly in the context of Canadian sovereignty and competing interests in the region. The disproportionate capability and influence of the Indo-Pacific states in the region have prompted calls for a more comprehensive approach to include Asia’s emerging Arctic actors.
In 2018, China released its official Arctic Policy paper and called itself a “near-arctic” state and a major stakeholder in the Arctic. The document draws a picture of the economic possibilities the region offers and China has vowed to “actively participate” in Arctic affairs. In 2020, a Chinese state-owned enterprise proposed a $230-million deal to purchase a gold mine project in Nunavut. The deal was blocked by Ottawa after a national security review.
“Canada’s United Nations standing is diminishing, as evidenced in our lost bid to Ireland in 2020 for a rotating seat on the UN Security Council. We were not invited to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the soon-to-be largest free trade area in the world, nor were we asked to join the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom in AUKUS, a new defence pact aimed at containing the growing military might of China,” said Gallant.
Human Organ Trafficking
Two CPC members continued last week’s discussion on the human organ trafficking bill.
Who said what
From Alberta Conservative MP Arnold Viersen:
“Mr. Speaker, the next petition I am tabling comes from Canadians who are concerned about forced organ harvesting and trafficking. This bill has passed through the Senate twice and in this House once in its current form. It is currently stalled before the foreign affairs committee. The petitioners are hoping it will soon be passed. The families of victims of forced organ harvesting and trafficking have now waited almost 15 years for Canada to pass this legislation. The petitioners are calling for the House to pass this legislation quickly.”
Conservative MP Frank Caputo in B.C. and Conservative MP Garnett Genuis also spoke about Bill S-223. For more information on the bill, click here.
Global Economy
China’s zero-COVID policy continues to pop up when politicians talk about the global economy.
From Liberal MP Brenda Shanahan:
“I also want to point out to the House that inflation is a global phenomenon that can be attributed in large part to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, and China's zero-COVID policy.”