Ottawa is pivoting toward Beijing under what Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand calls a “new foreign policy,” signalling a softer approach to the People’s Republic of China nearly five years after Parliament unanimously condemned the regime for crimes against humanity.Speaking yesterday, Anand said the change reflects a new government, a new prime minister and shifting global conditions, arguing Canada must rethink its international relationships amid economic strain at home.“In this moment of economic stress for our country, it is necessary for us to diversify our trading partners and to grow non-U.S. trade by at least 50% over the next ten years,” Anand said, adding that China figures into that strategy.The minister said cabinet is examining ways to deepen cooperation and expand what she described as “people-to-people ties” between Canadians and Chinese citizens. Anand said Ottawa is looking beyond trade to broader forms of collaboration aimed at increasing engagement between the two populations.“We will be examining opportunities for cooperation, for collaboration, to heighten our people-to-people ties and ensure there are opportunities,” she said, describing the approach as part of a wider review of Canada’s economic and diplomatic relationships..Blacklock's Reporter said the comments stand in sharp contrast to Parliament’s previous positions on Beijing. On February 22, 2021, MPs voted unanimously 266-0 to condemn China for genocide against its Uyghur Muslim minority. That motion followed findings by a Commons foreign affairs subcommittee documenting forced labour, organ harvesting, forced abortions and mass detention camps in China’s Xinjiang region.On February 1, 2023, MPs again voted unanimously, 322-0, warning Uyghurs face mass detention, forced sterilization, torture and other atrocities. That motion called on Canada to accept 10,000 Uyghur refugees..Chinese officials have repeatedly rejected those findings. Cong Peiwu, then China’s ambassador to Canada, dismissed the parliamentary votes as politically motivated and based on misinformation.He accused MPs of smearing China and claimed allegations of genocide were “lies of the century,” insisting foreign governments had no right to interfere in what Beijing considers its domestic affairs. Cong warned China would take “resolute measures” to defend its sovereignty and national interests.Anand did not address those past condemnations directly, but said Canada’s foreign policy must adapt to new realities, including the need to expand trade beyond the United States and reassess how Ottawa engages with major global powers.
