Disputes sharpen in Canadian ruling elite over its China policy
By
Roger Jordan
6 July 2017
Canada’s Liberal government has come under increasing fire from the media, the Conservative Official Opposition, and the trade union-backed NDP over its pursuit of closer relations with China, including a free trade deal.
The dispute is fueled by divisions within the ruling class over how it should respond to Donald Trump’s “America First” protectionist policies and Washington’s fanning of geopolitical tensions with Beijing, particularly over the South China Sea and North Korea. .
Canada’s so-called newspaper of record, the Globe and Mail, has run numerous articles in recent months raising concern about Beijing’s economic and political influence in Canada. But this campaign reached an entirely new level last month after the Liberal government approved the takeover of Vancouver-based Norsat International by a Chinese company, Hytera Communications.
A manufacturer of satellite communications devices, Norsat’s clients include the militaries of Canada, the US, and NATO.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has defended that Norsat takeover, saying a government review concluded that there was no risk to national security. But the Globe and the opposition have taken the government to task, saying a more comprehensive review should have been conducted. “Where other governments are wary of Chinese companies trying to take over their domestic technology firms, ours,” complained a Globe editorial, “is happy to facilitate a quick and easy sale.”
The Globe has trumpeted adverse reaction to the Norsat takeover from the military-security establishment in both Canada and the US, including two former directors of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Pentagon….