Charles Burton's Blog

Speech by John Baird Monday Cites Canada's Concerns About Religious Suppression in China

2012-01-23T18:49:00.000-05:00

Foreign Minister John Baird renewed his criticism of China's crackdown on religious freedom in a speech Monday in London.

"In China, we see Roman Catholic priests, Christian clergy and their laity, worshipping outside of state-sanctioned boundaries, who are continually subject to raids, arrests, and detention," Baird said in a prepared text.

"We see Falun Gong practitioners, Tibetan Buddhists, and Uyghur Muslims face harassment, and physical intimidation. These abhorrent acts fly in the face of our core principals, our core values."

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/breakingnews/china-to-push-win-win-energy-pact-with-canada-on-harper-visit-envoy-says-137910258.html

Happy Dragon Year, Lovely Little Canadian Girls!

2012-01-22T13:31:00.001-05:00

Last night I was stage manager for the Niagara Chinese New Year Gala. First item was singing of the National Anthem by "the children of the Families of Children from China of Niagara" (one of the 5 co-sponsors of the event). The afternoon before the show I arranged a little over a dozen little girls in a semi-circle around 3 microphones on the stage of the Merriton Community Centre and rehearsed them in singing "Oh Canada" all standing at attention heads up, shoulders back looking straight ahead at the audience of 450. All of my singers were girls all adopted from China as infants, youngest now 4 and eldest 9, all dressed in silky qipao looking both insufferably cute and utterly lovely. We went through the anthem 4 times until I got them doing it strongly, committed and without hesitation.

That evening after the Chinese supper was done, the lights dimmed in the hall and the line of girls walked out to the middle of the stage. Cue the music. And they sang out in pure and clear voices radiating with the innocence of Canadian children:
With glowing hearts we see thee rise
The truth north strong and free!
From far and wide, Oh Canada
We stand on guard for thee!
God keep our land glorious and free!
Oh Canada!
We stand on guard for thee.

My eyes watered a little.
When I am grown old, I will happily leave my Canada in their tender care.

Then the cymbals crashed and the drum boomed and the Lion Dance started our Chinese show off with flurry of joyful noise.

Charlie Rose Interview with Gary Locke. U.S. Ambassador to China

2012-01-19T11:30:00.000-05:00

Charlie Rose - Gary Locke

I recommend this interview very highly.

A passport with no strings attached

2012-01-19T08:25:00.000-05:00

A passport with no strings attached

Andrew Coyne on why dual citizenship is unworkable for Canadians

Stephen Harper to visit China next month

2012-01-11T12:30:00.000-05:00

Stephen Harper to visit China next month

Suu Kyi OptimistIc about Burma's Political Future

2012-01-06T05:53:00.001-05:00

@cburton001: BBC News - Suu Kyi: Burma democracy in my lifetime http://bbc.in/zU1Gbt

End Zimbabwe Anglican Church Persecution

2012-01-04T12:49:00.001-05:00

@cburton001: Anglican Communion News Service: Southern Africa Primate tells President Mugabe: "Stop police persecuting the church". http://bit.ly/xbiSGG

My Op-Ed in Ottawa Citizen, Vancouver Sun and other papers "A study in presidential contrasts"

2011-12-28T20:42:00.000-05:00

Vaclav Havel and Kim Jong-il, both of whom died last weekend, personified an extreme contrast in leadership styles. Each man oversaw a nation's response to the dashing of the hope for human dignity and justice that the Marxist-Leninist paradigm once offered. But the ways each went about it could not have been more different.

A study in presidential contrasts

Chinese President Heading to Pyongyang for Funeral

2011-12-19T03:22:00.001-05:00

@adriennemong: S Korean media reporting no foreign delegates attending Kim Jong-il's funeral BUT Chinese President Hu Jintao will be going.

An ex-ambassador in Beijing: Master of ping-ping diplomacy | The Economist

2011-12-14T10:06:00.000-05:00

An ex-ambassador in Beijing: Master of ping-ping diplomacy | The Economist

"We have never seen in world history, with Nazi Germany perhaps to one side, a global economic power that has stood so far apart from the international norms of social and political organisation, so it's something different. It really, really is different," Mr Raby said.

CBC.ca News - Chinese cyberspies stealing key data, U.S. analysts say

2011-12-13T03:41:00.001-05:00

http://www.cbc.ca/m/rich/technology/ story/2011/12/12/china-hackers-us.html

Canada Marks Human Rights Day

2011-12-09T12:06:00.000-05:00

Canada Marks Human Rights Day

(No. 365 - December 9, 2011 - 11:30 a.m. ET) Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued the following statement on the occasion of Human Rights Day:

“2011 was a landmark year for human rights, we saw hundreds of thousands of people step forward in the face of violent repression to claim their rights.

“Unfortunately, we live in a world where basic human rights are not always upheld. Innocent people are continually persecuted for their sexual orientation, their political affiliation and their religious beliefs. Human rights defenders are punished and tortured for working to create a world where the rights of all people, including women and girls, are protected and enjoyed.

“We are too often witness to violations of the right to freedom of religion. The history of humanity has proven that religious freedom and democratic freedom are inseparable. One of Canada’s key priorities, therefore, is to establish an Office of Religious Freedom. We announced our intention to do so in the Speech from the Throne on June 3, 2011, and I repeated that commitment at the United Nations General Assembly on September 26, 2011.

“Canada will continue to work tirelessly to promote human rights around the world. On December 10 we both mark this important day and recommit ourselves to working toward freedom, democracy and human rights for all people.”

Baird to review Rights and Democracy mandate | Canada | News | London Free Press

2011-12-02T08:51:00.000-05:00

Baird to review Rights and Democracy mandate | Canada | News | London Free Press

The feds want to revisit the role of the troubled Rights and Democracy agency and boost its democracy-building efforts overseas, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said Thursday.

Huawei: Will China conquer the world? - The Globe and Mail

2011-11-29T19:23:00.000-05:00

This report is very much worth the read:

Huawei: Will China conquer the world? - The Globe and Mail

Unverifed Claims of Xi Jinping's Canadian Connections (Chinese text)

2011-11-22T08:47:00.001-05:00

据国内媒体报道：习近平的姐姐是加拿大人,弟弟是澳大利亚人，而女儿即将成为美国人。习近平前妻柯玲玲，是中国外交官柯华小女儿，结婚三年后离婚，两人没有孩子。柯玲玲现居于英国。妻子彭丽媛是着名军旅女高音歌唱家，现任解放军总政治部歌舞团团长。1986年底经赖昌星朋友介绍与习近平相识，1987年 9月1日两人在厦门结婚。女儿习明泽，生于1992年，曾经在杭州外国语学校读书，2008年汶川大地震时以志愿者的身份前往四川绵竹的汉旺东汽小学，参与抢救伤者、心理辅导的工作。同年保送浙江大学，2009年7月，习明泽进入浙江大学外国语学院，20 10年5月前往美国哈佛大学读本科。姐姐齐桥桥（习桥桥）为北京中民信房地产开发有限公司董事长，姐夫邓家贵为远为房地产开发有限公司法人代表。他们目前已获加拿大籍。

这份习近平家人的路线图并不全面，还有更多亲戚朋友生活在美国、加拿大与澳大利亚，但仅仅从这个可以看出，他的很多近亲与家人都生活在海外，据中办一位老同志透露，这和习近平无关，他们兄弟姐妹平时来往不多，他们也从来没有沾习近平的光，都是靠自己的实力与人脉。他们在国内有这么好的条件，为什么都纷纷出国？而且有些已经拿了国外护照？

这位老同志透露了一段秘密，原来这事与习近平的父亲习仲勋有关，习仲勋在毛时代被折磨得神经失常是假，其实他一直很清醒，装疯卖傻只是为了保护自己的家人不受株连。习仲勋后来被平反后，被委以重任，而他主管广东，和广东华人华侨接触比较多，从他们那里才真正了解到西方的真实生活，尤其是政治状态与政治制度，这是习仲勋政治思想转变的关键。从那时起他就要求子女们有机会的时候都“远走高飞”，他说，报效祖国也可以到国外去，但留在国内，说不定就会某一天受到政治迫害，更不用说报效祖国了。但他要求子女中留一个搞政治的，而且希望是那个最淳朴没有心机的习近平，他说，在中国这种政治下，别以为有心机就能够成功，张春桥、江青有心机吧，灭亡得更快。习仲勋自己一直对当局与毛泽东直言不讳，在政治上从来不参与迫害人，表现得毫无心机，虽然受到了迫害，但属于最终笑到最后的人。

习仲勋要求子女远离中国，符合他的思想。子女在他的影响下，一有机会就出国了，唯独习近平留在了国内，但可能是受父亲影响，习近平也把独生女儿送到哈佛大学读书。据哈佛大学一位叫david的老师向博讯记者透露，习近平的女儿有中国大陆派来的保镖24小时保护，美国联邦调查局最近也加派人手暗中保护她。一般来说在校学生无法申请绿卡，但习近平女儿已经有美国的长期驻留签证，而且随时可以申请加入美国国籍。习近平女儿的成绩不错，空闲时也上网阅读中文网页，业余爱好是时装与阅读。

Obama puts China on notice with more muscular Asia policy

2011-11-18T04:11:00.001-05:00

Obama said that the U.S. wanted a world "where every nation plays by the rules, where workers' rights are respected, and our businesses can compete on a level playing field; where the intellectual property and new technologies that fuel innovation are protected; and where currencies are market driven so no nation has an unfair advantage."

"Every nation will chart its own course," Obama said. "Yet it is also true that certain rights are universal; among them, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, and the freedom of citizens to choose their own leaders."

http://www.thestar.com/mobile/news/world/article/1088387--obama-puts-china-on-notice-with-more-muscular-asia-policy?bn=1

BBC News - US body to probe China telecom firms on security threat

2011-11-18T03:53:00.001-05:00

"The US House intelligence committee said the investigation would look into whether the expansion of these firms in the US posed a security threat.
The committee has named Huawei and ZTE as two of the companies that it is probing."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/business-15786743

CTV News - Tory foreign policy review looks east to China

2011-11-17T10:17:00.000-05:00

CTV News - Tory foreign policy review looks east to China

The document points out the obvious need to bolster trade with Asia, and China in particular, sources say. China's fast growing economy has an insatiable need for natural resources to power growth. But that has raised red flags because Chinese investors are state-owned entities, not private companies. Foreign Affairs experts are working to draft a definitive document on the implications of doing business with state-owned enterprises from China, sources say.

Obama to China: Behave like a 'grown up' economy - Business - Mail & Guardian Online

2011-11-14T05:57:00.001-05:00

"China shot back that it refused to abide by international economic rules that it had no part in writing.

"First we have to know whose rules we are talking about," Pang Sen, a deputy director-general at China's Foreign Ministry said.

"If the rules are made collectively through agreement and China is a part of it, then China will abide by them. If rules are decided by one or even several countries, China does not have the obligation to abide by that."
http://mg.co.za/article/2011-11-14-obama-to-china-behave-like-a-grown-up-economy/

TVO The Agenda: "China: Quest for Energy" Panel Streaming Video

2011-11-10T14:34:00.001-05:00

China's state corporations' investments in the Canadian energy sector: Sating an Energy-Hungry World | The Agenda

2011-11-09T09:27:00.000-05:00

Sating an Energy-Hungry World | The Agenda

I will be on Steve Paikin tonight discussing China's state corporations' investments in the Canadian energy sector:

China’s elite have new international outlook

2011-11-06T04:40:00.000-05:00

http://m.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/7fcc4bfc-06d2-11e1-b9cc-00144feabdc0.html

CBC.ca News - Cyberattacks on U.S. military firms traced to China

2011-11-03T04:05:00.001-04:00

http://www.cbc.ca/m/rich/technology/story/2011/11/01/technology-cyberattacks-us-china.html

Holocaust saviour: How thousands of Jews were saved from death camps by a Chinese diplomat

2011-11-02T08:22:00.000-04:00

Feng Shan Ho is one of the great unsung heroes of the 20th century.

Holocaust saviour: How thousands of Jews were saved from death camps by a Chinese diplomat | News | National Post

No evidence Dechert compromised national security - CTV News

2011-10-11T20:08:00.000-04:00

"CTV News has learned the RCMP and Canadian Security Intelligence Service have found no evidence Dechert compromised national security as a result of his relationship with Shi Rong, a reporter with the Xinhua News Agency in Toronto.

Senior CSIS and RCMP officers confirmed to CTV that the Chinese news agency functions as an intelligence arm of China."

Read more: http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20110918/bob-dechert-xinhua-reporter-110918/#ixzz1aWOFgYY2