China's visiting foreign minister publicly berated a Canadian journalist on Wednesday for asking a question about his country's human rights record.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said it was "irresponsible" of a journalist from the web outlet IPolitics to ask about human rights and the jailing of a Canadian, Kevin Garratt, who is charged with espionage.
Wang appeared visibly angry as he delivered the scolding in the lobby of Global Affairs headquarters at a joint news conference with Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion.
"Your question is full of prejudice and against China and arrogance ... I don't know where that comes from. This is totally unacceptable," Wang said through a translator.
"Other people don't know better than the Chinese people about the human rights condition in China and it is the Chinese people who are in the best situation, in the best position to have a say about China's human rights situation," he continued.
"So I would like to suggest to you that please don't ask questions in such an irresponsible manner. We welcome goodwill suggestions but we reject groundless or unwarranted accusations."
The IPolitics question was agreed to by a number of journalists representing several news organizations at the event, including The Canadian Press.
Wang asked the journalist if she'd ever been to China and whether she knew Canada had lifted 600 million people out of poverty to become the world's second-largest economy. "Do you know China has written protection and promotion of human rights into our constitution?"
Earlier, Dion said he and Trudeau raised Garratt's case with Wang and never misses an opportunity to raise human rights and difficult consular cases, saying he and Wang had "honest and frank conversations on human rights and consular affairs."
"These discussions are central to a healthy relationship," Dion said. "We expect that we will not always see eye-to-eye with each other, but we need to make progress."
China and Canada also agreed to disagree on the contentious issue of Beijing's behaviour in the South China Sea, Dion said.
High-seas geopolitical tensions in Asia and free trade aspirations hung over Wang's visit to Ottawa, which also included a talk with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet.
Dion said he had "mature and respectful discussions on our respective positions on regional issues including the South China Sea."
He said Wang was passionate, but so too are China's neighbours.
Several countries in the region oppose Chinese assertive posture, with Japan particularly taking umbrage over Beijing's claims in the East China Sea. The disputed waters also include important international shipping lanes.
China wants to negotiate a free trade deal with Canada, but neither Wang nor Dion had anything new to announce on that front on Wednesday.
Wang noted Canada's free trade deal with South Korea and said he realizes it is pursuing similar deals with India and Japan.
"But I want to tell you that the trade between Canada and those countries is not as big as that between Canada and China," Wang said.
"I would like to suggest Canada to negotiate FTA with the Chinese side, but here I must emphasize we will never impose our own will on our friends. It's up to you."
Wang also recalled the positive strides Trudeau made with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his first round of international travel last fall. The Chinese leader praised the vision of Trudeau's father, Pierre, for establishing diplomatic relations with the People's Republic in 1970 during a meeting at the G20 in Turkey.
He also credited gains in bilateral relations made by former liberal prime ministers Jean Chretien and Paul Martin.
Wang made no mention of former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper, whose near-decade in power started on a frosty note when he was accused of snubbing Beijing.
Visiting foreign ministers usually stick to talking to their counterparts, but Wang also inserted a meeting with Trudeau, which underscores the importance the government is placing on China at a pivotal time.
Wang came away impressed.
"We stand ready to work together closely with the Canadian side and take the opportunity of the new government in Canada to open up a new golden era of our bilateral relations."
Comments
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said it was "irresponsible" of a journalist from the web outlet IPolitics to ask about human rights and the jailing of a Canadian, Kevin Garratt, who is charged with espionage.
Wang asked the journalist if she'd ever been to China and whether she knew Canada had lifted 600 million people out of poverty to become the world's second-largest economy [which what the Conservatives did when they killed the anti-dumping laws here allowing our manufacturing base, mostly Ontario and Quebec to relocated to China, utilizing Chinese slave labor and ‘dump’ the finished goods for sale back here below local production costs, killing completion, putting profits in their pockets and increasing unemployment - 11,000 plant closures, 400,000 thrown out of work. Those who were not able to do likewise went out of business]. "Do you know China has written protection and promotion of human rights into our constitution?" [which is why they had to install netting around the roof perimeter of factory roofs to stop the suicide jumpers escaping from forced labor. http://www.dailytech.com/Foxconn+Installs+AntiSuicide+Nets+at+Its+Facil… ].
China wants to negotiate a free trade deal with Canada, but neither Wang nor Dion had anything new to announce on that front on Wednesday. Wang noted Canada's free trade deal with South Korea and said he realizes it is pursuing similar deals with India and Japan. "But I want to tell you that the trade between Canada and those countries is not as big as that between Canada and China," Wang said.
And to add insult to injury, Steven Harper who set the stage, threw the baton to Brad Wall and the Alberta Cons to march to the bank by selling what the factories needed – oil at the rest of Canada’s expense. And what did they do? Through incompetent management, when oil dropped below $100/barrel, ran into financial trouble. These guys have not advanced past exporting beaver pelts. Since those became depleted they needed help to find a substitute and found it with Harper and his hillbilly clones with their ‘rip and ship’ mentality. Nothing was ‘broken’ before this treasonous clown act hit the stage who floundered through the transition toward the oil salesman Harper's "a major energy producer" rant. And then I hear all the self-proclaimed economic 'experts' who climb aboard the train of popular topics as they did with the likes of Nortel and the 'golden' financial sector, prior to 2008, when they could talk about nothing else, from Dianne Frances onward.
Other than the hands-on people, none of them will ever understand the complete dilution of Canada's GDP numbers from the value added components of production lines with oil 'royalties' trickling into transfer payments. The real numbers are revealed when one examines the facts that it was a production economy that developed this country, where hospitals, schools, universities, and the transportation, electrical, communication, municipal infrastructures were built. Now we go into debt to even maintain them. And the next 'golden goose' is the TPP? For who? The rip and ship sector?