On this episode of China Uncensored,
is Canada selling out to the Chinese regime?
I mean, they do have pandas, though....
Hi, welcome to China Uncensored,
I’m your host Chris Chappell.
Today I want to talk to you about something very important—
Canada.
Don't laugh.
Because after the November elections, half of the United States will be moving there.
Which half, we’ll have to wait and see.
But while Americans are contemplating
moving to Canada in droves,
it may be too late to get a spot.
That's because Chinese
are already moving to Canada in droves.
Including a number of corrupt Chinese officials.
So on Saturday,
Chinese premier Li Keqiang wrapped up
a historic three-day visit to Canada.
That's after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
traveled to China earlier this month.
Li wrote:
“I am delighted to be coming today to Canada, the beautiful land of maples.”
That's it?
That's the best he could come up with?
It’s like he just looked at the flag and was like,
ok, maples.
What about "the beautiful land of poutine and Tim Hortons,
where babies are born with ice skates on,
and handsome mounties wander the frozen tundra
with white wolves at their feet?”
Boom.
Nailed it.
Anyway,
for years, the Chinese regime has been working hard
to get closer ties to America’s less violent northern doppleganger.
It’s been seeking a free trade deal and relaxed investment rules.
And importantly,
it’s been seeking an extradition treaty
that would allow Beijing to nab those “corrupt officials”
and send them back to China.
But you see, there’s a couple problems with that.
Look, no one likes corrupt officials.
OK, most corrupt officials.
So why shouldn't Canada work with China
to send them back and face trial?
Well, for one,
the Chinese regime labels all sorts of people as criminals—
and a lot of people labeled corrupt are victims of political purging.
And then, of course
there are those pesky dissidents who criticize the Chinese regime.
Like artist Ai Weiwei.
The regime once investigated him for so-called “economic crimes.”
And for two, the Chinese regime kills people for corruption.
In China, unlike the United States,
you can be executed for economic crimes—
even embezzling just five hundred thousand dollars.
And China’s state-controlled courts don’t exactly give people a fair trial.
Canada, on the other hand
has generally been a world leader in human rights.
The Chinese Communist Party’s liberal use of the death penalty—
and liberal use of trumping up charges for political purposes—
are two reasons why Canada has resisted
ever signing an extradition treaty with them.
But the Chinese regime has a way of getting what it wants.
This is Canadian citizen Kevin Garratt.
He just spent two years in a Chinese prison.
This was after living in China for 30.
He and his wife ran a part-time Christian aid mission,
giving food to starving North Koreans.
Or as state-run Xinhua News calls it,
“accepting tasks from Canadian espionage agencies
to gather intelligence in China.”
Same difference.
That’s why Chinese authorities arrested Garratt and his wife in 2014.
She was released on bail,
but he was charged in January with spying
and stealing state secrets.
He was convicted earlier this month,
then deported back to Canada
a week after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited China.
I wonder what happened?
I mean, the Canadian government said they made no concessions.
Especially not over free trade,
long-standing disputes,
or that extradition treaty.
It's just a coincidence
that shortly after that,
China and Canada are exploring free trade,
solving long-standing disputes,
and reconsidering that extradition treaty.
But what if Canada's
cave-in to China
started much earlier--
on a very black-and-white issue.
That’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
with two Canadian-born panda cubs.
Look at his face!
Who could resist those two little snugglemuffins?
Of course,
every panada in the world is technically just on loan from China,
even the ones born overseas.
So wouldn’t it be a shame if they had to go back to China?
Who wouldn't sign an extradition treaty
to keep holding those armfuls of fluffy softness?
Ok, I'm joking about China threatening to repatriate the pandas,
but Chinese authorities giving countries pandas
to soften China’s political image is a real thing.
It's literally called panda diplomacy.
So back to that extradition treaty—
I actually think it's not that big a deal.
Why?
Because undercover Chinese security agents
have already been going into Canada,
and strong-arming Chinese immigrants to return anyway.
But hey,
wouldn’t a treaty eliminate that,
maybe allow of the Canadian government to have a bit more say?
Well, The US doesn’t have an extradition treaty with China either—
for much the same concerns over human rights.
But last April,
the Obama administration did agree to something similar.
How’d that go?
A Reuters investigation found the Chinese regime
wasn’t really even bothering to fill out the necessary deportation paperwork
when they were nabbing tens of thousands of Chinese immigrants.
So who can you blame for this sorry state of affairs?
Blame Canada!
They’re not even a real country anyway!
No!
Blame the Chinese Communist Party!
It’s the regime that murders its own citizens for their organs.
They should be viewed as an international pariah,
like North Korea.
But because they know how to hit just the right balance
of panda-giving and citizen-kidnapping,
while also being the world's leading manufacturer of cheap stuff,
other countries just can’t seem to get enough of them.
So what do you think about the Canadian government
cozying up with the Chinese regime?
Leave your comments below.
Once again I’m Chris Chappell,
see you next time.
Something you might not know about me—
I have a masters degree in Classical Music Composition
from New York University.
It was only later I decided
to give up such a stable career path
and follow my dream of undermining social harmony in China.
But this weekend,
I get to put those old skills to use.
I’ll be hosting NTD’s 2016 International Piano competition.
And I want you to watch.
It will be livestreamed on piano.ntdtv.com this Saturday and Sunday,
October 1st and 2nd.
And who knows,
maybe I can convince some of the contestants to get a real job.
piano.ntdtv.com