Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has charged Western “capitalist democracies” to work together and prevent China from taking advantage of their infighting over the gains from China’s growing markets.
During a recent interview session with Global News, Trudeau said that Western countries must “do a better job of working together and standing strong so that China can’t… play the angles and divide us one against the other.”
He said: “There’s been a bit of competition, amongst friends, because we are capitalist democracies… especially given the extraordinary economic opportunity of the rising Chinese middle class.”
He however admitted that economic benefits overshadow the West’s concerns that are stated publicly about China’s averred human rights abuses and “coercive” behaviour.
He remarked that Canada must continue to work with China on some global issues like climate change but in a bid to compete with China economically, all “like-minded countries” should pull together, coordinate, and “show a united front.”
Canada’s existing bitter relationship with China took a new turn this month after Canada joined the US-led diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games.
While echoing the United States and Australia’s rhetoric, Trudeau accused China of “repeated human rights violations” over its alleged maltreatment of Uyghur Muslims, propelling a harsh rebuke from China.
While rebuking Canada, the Chinese Embassy in Canada said: “Clinging to Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice, Canada and a handful of western countries interfere in the internal affairs of other countries under the pretext of human rights in an attempt to disrupt and contain their development process.
“Canada is simply not qualified to be ‘a human rights preacher’ and is certainly in no position to judge China on this front.”
