{"id":1932753,"date":"2023-05-17T14:02:23","date_gmt":"2023-05-17T18:02:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/canada-and-chinas-diplomatic-tit-for-tat-is-a-warning-for-america\/"},"modified":"2023-05-17T14:02:23","modified_gmt":"2023-05-17T18:02:23","slug":"canada-and-chinas-diplomatic-tit-for-tat-is-a-warning-for-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/canada-and-chinas-diplomatic-tit-for-tat-is-a-warning-for-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada And China\u2019s Diplomatic Tit-For-Tat Is A Warning For America"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcanada-and-chinas-diplomatic-tit-for-tat-is-a-warning-for-america%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1932753&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p> \t\t\t\t\t Canada\u00a0expelled\u00a0a Chinese diplomat early this week, and China\u00a0retaliated\u00a0by expelling a Canadian diplomat. The allegation of China\u2019s aggressive political interference in Canada is at the center of this tension.<\/p>\n<p>    On May 1, The Globe and Mail, a Canadian media outlet, disclosed a 2021\u00a0top-secret assessment by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), the nation\u2019s top spy agency. The CSIS warned that Beijing is the \u201cforemost perpetrator\u201d of foreign interference in Canada and that Chinese Communist Party (CCP) operatives have employed \u201cincentives and punishment\u201d as part of their overseas operations, directly targeting Canadian legislators, business executives, and Chinese immigrants in the nation.<\/p>\n<p>    The CSIS assessment identified Michael Chong, a member of parliament (MP) from the Conservative Party, as one of the CCP\u2019s targets. Chong, the son of a Chinese immigrant, is an outspoken critic of the CCP. In 2021, a non-binding motion sponsored by Chong to declare that the CCP\u2019s treatment of the Uyghur Muslims constituted genocide was passed by the House of Commons 266-0. The Chinese ambassador to Ottawa, Cong Peiwu, condemned\u00a0the motion and claimed, \u201cThere is no so-called genocide in Xinjiang at all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>    Soon after, China put Chong and several other MPs on its sanction list. The CSIS alleged that Zhao Wei, a diplomat at the Chinese embassy in Toronto, instructed Hong Kong authorities to locate Chong\u2019s relatives in the city. Zhao sought to \u201cmake an example\u201d of Chong and silence other China critics in Canada by going after Chong\u2019s relatives.<\/p>\n<p>    Other than offering Chong a vague warning, CSIS never shared the specifics of its assessment with him in 2021. Chong only learned about it after\u00a0The Globe and Mail contacted him recently. Since Chong cut off ties with relatives in Hong Kong years ago to protect them, he didn\u2019t know if the Chinese authorities had hurt any of them due to his political activities in Canada. In a\u00a0statement, Chong called Beijing\u2019s political interference in Canada \u201ca serious, national threat.\u201d He accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of withholding the CSIS report from him for more than two years and failing to address \u201cthe foreign interference activities\u201d of China.<\/p>\n<p>    Since March, the Trudeau government has struggled to deal with allegations of China\u2019s meddling in Canada\u2019s 2019 and 2021 elections. CCP operatives\u00a0reportedly\u00a0helped keep China-friendly Trudeau and his Liberal Party in power while defeating several Conservative Party MPs who were critical of Beijing. When he first came to office, Trudeau vowed to improve Canada\u2019s relationship with China and explored signing a free-trade agreement with Beijing.<\/p>\n<p>    According to CSIS, China\u2019s sophisticated interference operations in Canada are managed by the United Front Work Department (UFWD), a CCP agency tasked with helping the party aggressively and yet covertly dictate its messages and narratives about China domestically and overseas. The CSIS report alleged the interference tactics UFWD deployed in Canada included utilizing Chinese diplomats and pro-Beijing Chinese-Canadian organizations to spread misinformation about Conservative Party MPs who are critical of the CCP; donating money to liberal organizations such as the foundation for Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, named after the father of Justin Trudeau; co-opting some Chinese language media to publish pro-Beijing articles; and spying on and silencing critics of the CCP, especially if they are ethnic Chinese who have families in China.<\/p>\n<p>    One of the most severe allegations\u00a0was that China\u2019s Toronto consulate \u201cdirected a large clandestine transfer of funds to a network of at least eleven federal election candidates and numerous Beijing operatives who worked as their campaign staffers\u201d in 2019. China\u2019s former consul-general in Vancouver, Tong Xiaoling,\u00a0reportedly bragged about how she helped defeat two Conservative MPs in 2021. Tong has since returned to China.<\/p>\n<p>    Trudeau Slow to Act    Under tremendous public pressure, Trudeau\u00a0ordered\u00a0an independent investigation in March to \u201chelp identify and combat foreign interference in Canada\u2019s elections and its democracy.\u201d This month\u2019s revelation about China\u2019s attempted intimidation operation against Chong only fueled more public furor that Trudeau has failed to prevent authoritarian regimes like China from undermining the nation\u2019s democracy. Trudeau did an about-face by\u00a0announcing the expulsion of Zhao Wei, the Chinese diplomat identified by the intelligence report.<\/p>\n<p>    China retaliated by\u00a0ordering Jennifer Lynn Lalonde, consul at the Canadian consulate in Shanghai, to leave China. In addition, the Chinese government vowed to take other retaliatory measures to punish Canada. Given the precedent that Beijing wrongfully detained Canadian citizens\u00a0Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor for nearly three years as political retaliation for Canada\u2019s detainment of a high-level Chinese business executive, Canadian citizens and businesses in China are understandably concerned about whether they will become the next victims of Beijing\u2019s hostage diplomacy.<\/p>\n<p>    China\u2019s Australian Interference    Canada wasn\u2019t the only target of China\u2019s foreign interference. In 2016, Australia\u2019s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull ordered an investigation into China\u2019s interference in his country after Chinese-Australian businessmen with close ties to the CCP\u00a0reportedly made campaign contributions and covered the expenses of a prominent politician in the Labor Party. The investigation led to an explosive intelligence report\u00a0alleging Beijing has attempted to influence Australia\u2019s political parties for years and \u201cthere had been infiltration at every layer of the Australian government, right down to local councils.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>    The revelation prompted the Australian legislature to enact the Foreign Interference Law in 2018. But early this year, former PM Turnbull complained that the law wasn\u2019t rigorously enforced, despite the fact that \u201cthe most active state and political party seeking to influence public affairs in Australia is that of China and the Communist Party of China \u2014 we know that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>    What happened in Australia and Canada illustrates how the CCP, under its leader Xi Jinping, has taken brazen actions that far exceeded legitimate diplomacy in exploiting other countries\u2019 loopholes in their espionage and counterintelligence laws, infiltrating their political systems and seeking to influence and shape public opinions and policies by all means necessary.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>    China\u2019s Actions in the U.S.    Undoubtedly, the CCP has conducted similar interference campaigns in the United States as in Australia and Canada. In 2020, a suspected Chinese spy, Fang Fang,\u00a0reportedly\u00a0developed extensive ties with local and national politicians in the U.S., including Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif. The U.S. Department of Justice recently\u00a0charged\u00a0two individuals with the operation of an illegal Chinese police station in New York City, targeting ethnic Chinese who are critical of Beijing. <\/p>\n<p>    Early this week, Republicans on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability\u00a0presented\u00a0evidence that foreign nationals, including those from China, sought access to then-Vice President Joe Biden through questionable business dealings with Biden\u2019s family members and business associates. All these cases are the tip of the iceberg of the CCP\u2019s meddling in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>    The CCP is unconcerned about repercussions whenever it gets caught because it has plenty of tools in its toolbox. According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, the CCP relies on \u201ca range of economic and non-economic tools to punish, influence and deter foreign governments in its foreign relations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>    The U.S. government has been complacent and has been slow to counter China\u2019s political interference. Canada and China\u2019s diplomatic tit-for-tat should serve as a warning. Since another presidential election is coming, if President Biden is serious about defending democracy in the U.S., he should reach out to his counterparts in Canada and Australia and learn from their experiences in dealing with the CCP\u2019s political interference, especially the mistakes they made.<\/p>\n<p>    The Biden administration must understand the CCP\u2019s strategy and tactics and work with Congress to develop comprehensive measures to curtail the CCP\u2019s interference operations in the U.S. and protect the integrity of our elections and Americans\u2019 right to free speech.<\/p>\n<p>  \t\t\t\t\t      Helen Raleigh, CFA, is an American entrepreneur, writer, and speaker. She&#8217;s a senior contributor at The Federalist. Her writings appear in other national media, including The Wall Street Journal and Fox News.  Helen is the author of several books, including &#8220;Confucius Never Said&#8221; and \u201cBacklash: How Communist China&#8217;s Aggression Has Backfired.&#8221; Her latest book is the 2nd edition of \u201cThe Broken Welcome Mat: America\u2019s UnAmerican immigration policy, and how we should fix it.\u201d   Follow her on Parler and Twitter: @HRaleighspeaks.  \t\t\t\t\t       CanadaCanadian Security Intelligence ServiceChinaChinese Communist PartyCong Peiwuelection interferenceHong KongJennifer Lynn LalondeJustin TrudeauMalcolm TurnbullMichael ChongTong XiaolingUnited Front Work DepartmentXi JinpingZhao Wei     \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Canada\u00a0expelled\u00a0a Chinese diplomat early this week, and China\u00a0retaliated\u00a0by expelling a Canadian diplomat. The allegation of China\u2019s aggressive political interference in Canada is at the center of this tension. On May 1, The Globe and Mail, a Canadian media outlet, disclosed a 2021\u00a0top-secret assessment by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), the nation\u2019s top spy agency.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":536,"featured_media":1932754,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[5374,3957,5909,4677,26996,7267],"class_list":["post-1932753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-america","tag-canada","tag-chinas","tag-diplomatic","tag-tit-for-tat","tag-warning"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1932753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/536"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1932753"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1932753\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1932754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1932753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1932753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1932753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}