Following release of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, Canada could get tougher on China: experts
Global News
Others say the time has come to Canada to hit back harder at China now that Kovrig and Spavor are safe.
The aftermath of Canada’s long fight with China over the imprisonment of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig has spawned a new challenge: whether to join allies such as the United States and Australia in taking a more confrontational stance toward China.
Some analysts saw hints of a potentially tougher approach in what appeared to be a throwaway line in a congratulatory note that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sent to his new Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, this past week.
Trudeau twice used the label “Indo-Pacific” to stress the importance of co-operating with Japan on shared regional interests.
For some observers, that was a signal that Canada was moving toward a tougher posture toward future relations with China.
Paul Evans, a China expert at the University of British Columbia, said the use of that label Indo-Pacific denoted a subtle but distinct shift in how Canada traditionally viewed the region.
Canada has traditionally referred to the vast geopolitical entity on the other side of the Pacific Ocean as the “Asia-Pacific,” a label that Evans said clearly included China as well as its many regional neighbours, while “Indo-Pacific” is a shorthand that is meant to exclude China.
“This may sound just like words, but there’s a very serious difference,'” said Evans.
“The phrase Indo-Pacific draws us into this strategic moment of great power rivalry. Indo-Pacific is fundamentally about China’s rise and responses to it.”