G&M: Chinese puzzled by aloofness from Ottawa

[tuvor]

Missing meetings and cancelled trips have cooled off the 'partnership,' to Beijing's concern

BEIJING, OTTAWA -- A year ago, in a solemn signing ceremony, China and Canada announced a "strategic partnership" -- the highest political relationship that Beijing can bestow on a friendly country.

But a few months later, something happened in Canada that never happens in China: a democratic change of government. Since then, the new government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has deliberately avoided the "strategic partnership" term. His China policy has fallen into limbo, with the two sides barely talking.

The high-level committee that was supposed to promote the partnership -- the Strategic Working Group, consisting of senior officials in both countries -- has not held any meetings since August, 2005, and no date has been set for another meeting.

Beijing remains keen on the partnership, but Ottawa has been cool or uninterested. "It's going nowhere," one participant said privately.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060927.CHINA27/TPStory/National

[Spazito]

1. No surprise there....

the harper government wants ONLY to solidify our economic subjugation to the US and diversifying our interests doesn't help achieve that goal. If reduce our dependence on the US re our exports, the harper government won't be able to keep trying to scare us with the old saw "we can't upset them because we are solely dependent on them."

[daleo]

2. And PNAC sees China as the major strategic threat to the U.S.

So Harper is just going along with the PNAC agenda.

[Bragi]

3. Ahhhh... makes sense...

I also read somewhere that China really gets up the nose of politicized American evangelicals.

What's up with that?

- B

[daleo]

4. I read that they consider the Dali Llama a "hero" of theirs

Which I thought was funny, since they also assume he will burn in hell for an eternity, not being a Christian and all.