'外交“-Harper in China:

"外交“-Harper in China:
題目：Harper in China: Canada cautioned to focus on 'core interests'
日期：February 07, 2012February 07, 2012
媒體：thestar.com
作者：Tonda MacCharles

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{{GA_Article.Images.Alttext$}}Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife Laureen landed in Beijing today for a five-day visit.Adrian Wyld/THE CANADIAN PRESSBEIJING

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—Huseyin Celil’s wife is juggling the phone in Burlington, while one of their four children hollers in the background.Kamila Telendibaeva’s husband, a Canadian citizen, is jailed as a Uyghur Muslim terrorist and is in isolation in the remote western Chinese province of Xinjiang.Harper in China: A ‘goodwill’ gesture as PM arrives in Beijing“No one has seen him in six months,” Telendibaeva said in a telephone interview. She despairs and has no expectation Prime Minister Stephen Harper — in the midst of meetings with key Chinese leaders — will win Celil’s release.But China has sent clear signals it does not welcome a public airing of Canada’s human rights concerns on China’s domestic front.Xinhua, the state news agency, and a lead editorial in the English-language China Daily said Harper’s huge entourage — five ministers, six MPs and 40 business executives from oil, gas, mining and lumber companies, among others — reminded readers that “his government is looking to garner lucrative business deals with China.”The news agency said President Hu Jintao and Harper’s more frequent meetings are “a sign of enhanced political mutual trust” and suggested that: “Differences aside, there is no conflict of fundamental interests between China and Canada.”“For the smooth and healthy development of bilateral ties, both sides should treat each other with respect, accommodate each other’s core interests and major concerns, and appropriately handle sensitive issues.”Telendibaeva has no such illusions.What she does want is consular access for Canadian officials. When last seen in June by his sister and mother, Celil’s stomach was ailing and his health poor, says Telendibaeva.“It’s difficult, oh my God, it’s difficult,” she says.Harper enlisted Canadian-born comic Mark Rowswell, a cultural icon in China, as its “goodwill ambassador.” He was to be front and centre with Harper promoting Canadian tourism Wednesday.Publicly, Harper’s trip is choreographed to focus on Canadian exports and other good news. Cameras are welcome to events highlighting lumber exports, which hit the $1 billion mark; tourism, which has seen a 25 per cent increase in Chinese visitors to Canada; and education. More than 60,000 students from China study in Canada, injecting about $1.9 billion into the Canadian economy.But behind closed doors, there is a serious effort underway to promote Canada’s interest in selling more energy to Asia, and especially China.Harper’s official delegation includes a who’s who of Canadian oil, gas, mining and lumber executives from key companies: Lorraine Mitchelmore, Shell Canada’s president and chair; Enbridge president Patrick Daniel; Cameco Corporation president Tim Gitzel; Teck Resources president Donald Lindsay; Eldorado Gold Corporation’s Paul Wright; and Syncrude Canada chairman Marcel Coutu, who is also president of Canadian Oil Sands Ltd.As Harper headed into Wednesday’s meeting with Premier Wen Jiabao, who scolded him publicly in 2009 for taking to long to come, the Chinese were getting some advice, too.A group of B.C. aboriginal opponents was making its case to the Chinese.In an open letter sent to Beijing, they urged Hu to grill Harper about Canada’s own human rights record, ranging from missing and murdered aboriginal women to the disproportionate number of aboriginals in Canadian prisons. The letter advises China that the Harper government is promoting resource development without aboriginal support.

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Source Link http://www.thestar.com/printarticle/1127382