Conservatives are pressing Prime Minister Mark Carney to abandon renewed defence coordination talks with Beijing, warning that closer engagement with China should not extend to Canada's military relationship.Conservative defence critic James Bezan and foreign affairs critic Eric Duncan called for the reversal in a letter to Carney on Wednesday, contrasting the government's current approach with Carney's previous description of China as Canada's "biggest security threat.""Like millions of Canadians, we agreed with your clear-headed statement last year that China was 'the biggest security threat' to our country," Bezan and Duncan wrote."This made it all the more disappointing when you changed your position after the election, pursuing instead a 'strategic partnership' with Beijing for a 'New World Order.'"The MPs said Ottawa has resumed defence coordination talks with China through a forum that former prime minister Justin Trudeau's government walked away from in 2018.They also criticized how the talks became public, accusing the government of holding no debate and leaving Canadians to learn of their resumption through Chinese state-controlled media."You allowed no debate and forced Canadians to learn about it from Beijing's state-controlled media," the letter said. "This is unacceptable, and we demand that you reverse course.".Bezan and Duncan pointed to a series of longstanding disputes between Canada and China, including the detention of Canadian citizens, allegations of election interference, Chinese surveillance buoys discovered in Arctic waters and reports of secret Chinese police stations operating in Canada."We will not stand up for our sovereignty or our values by working with a government that has kidnapped our people, interfered with our elections, dropped surveillance buoys in our Arctic waters, and set up secret police stations on Canadian soil," they wrote.The Conservatives also cited encounters involving Canadian military aircraft and vessels in the Indo-Pacific, arguing China has repeatedly challenged the sovereignty of neighbouring countries.The letter acknowledged that some Canadian allies communicate with China's military, but Bezan and Duncan argued those discussions should not be confused with increasing defence cooperation."While certain allies have had conversations with the Chinese military, none of them are talking about increasing cooperation," they wrote."We sincerely hope that your government is not pursuing such a goal."The dispute comes as Carney seeks to reset Canada's relationship with Beijing after years of strained relations under Trudeau.Carney previously called China Canada's "biggest security threat," but his government has since pursued closer economic ties with Beijing as Canada looks to diversify trade amid tensions with the United States.Conservatives have opposed that shift extending into defence relations."As His Majesty's Loyal Opposition, we are calling on you to put Canada first, stand up for our nation and its proud convictions, and to reject a 'strategic partnership' and military coordination with the regime in Beijing," Bezan and Duncan wrote.
