Taiwan a key hurdle to Canada restoring military talks: China envoy

Last year, Canada and the U.S. sailed warships through the Taiwan Strait as part of what Washington calls "freedom of navigation" operations.

China’s ambassador to Canada says an effort by Ottawa to restore normal military communication will hit headwinds if the navy sends another ship to the Taiwan Strait.

“We want dialogue. But it’s really based on the principle of mutual respect,” Cong Peiwu told The Canadian Press in a recent interview.

Late last month, Maj.-Gen. Gregory Smith — the Canadian military official tasked with communicating with countries such as China — said Ottawa was looking to establish a more open dialogue with Beijing’s officials.

“We’re trying to get past just démarches, which is just speaking angrily to each other, to re-establish relationships,” Smith said.

He told the House of Commons national defence committee that Canada seeks “a more baseline discussion” with China’s defence attaché.

“We’re taking a look, but we have to do that with our greater partners across government,” he said, adding that Canada has not done any military exercises or co-operation with the People’s Liberation Army since 2018.

Last year, Canada and the U.S. sailed warships through the Taiwan Strait as part of what Washington calls “freedom of navigation” operations.

In June, the U.S. released a video showing a Chinese ship cutting across the path of an American destroyer, forcing it to slow down. A Canadian warship was alongside the U.S. ship. Canada’s navy made another transit through the disputed strait in September.