By Andrew Latham
Once upon a time, Canada saw China as Beijing wanted China to be seen — as an essentially benevolent power, one well on its way to becoming fully integrated into the liberal international order, and an aspiring member-in-good-standing of the international community. To be sure, Ottawa’s mandarin class was aware of some of China’s rougher edges, of its human rights deficits and its sometimes-heavy-handed trade diplomacy.
But on the whole, the Canadian equivalent of “the Blob” saw these as little more than speed-bumps on the road to China’s ultimate liberalization and normalization. Few, if any, saw China as a threat to Canada. And most, if not all, looked forward to ever-warmer relations between China and Canada.
That time has now passed.
This piece was originally published in The Hill on December 7, 2022. Read more HERE.