Canada-China Brief: Jet tensions at UN, Indo-Pacific economic exclusion & more

This week's edition covers?Chinese jet maneuvers?over Canadian patrols to be raised with the UN Security Council, Ottawa’s exclusion from Washington’s?Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, and more.??

First, here's the latest from?IPD's Asia program:

IPD's Roundup

Would China be an effective mediator between Ukraine and Russia?

In a guest piece for IPD, David Curtis Wright, a Fellow with the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies, reflects on the possibility of Beijing’s mediation between Russia and Ukraine, noting that the war is “inimical to China’s long-term economic interests” and the Belt and Road Initiative in particular.

Top Stories

Joly to raise Chinese jet intercepts with UNSC members

Increasing Chinese jet activity over Canadian patrols taking part in Operation NEON around the Korean Peninsula has prompted concerns among the defence establishment. Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly has vowed to bring the issue to the table among UN Security Council members.

Potential collisions?—?The Canadian Armed Forces issued a?press release?condemning behaviour by the Chinese airforce:

• Chinese jets closed in on Canadian planes and?"did not adhere to international air safety norms. These interactions [were] unprofessional and/or put the safety of our RCAF personnel at risk."
• The developments around the operation, which is tasked with enforcing UN sanctions on Pyongyang, have come as China joined Russia in?vetoing?a US resolution at the UNSC that would have tightened export restrictions on North Korea.

'Extremely concerning' —?Both the Prime Minister and Minister Joly have criticized the activity and promised to raise the issue at the diplomatic level:

• Joly?stated?that "Canada has every single right to be in that airspace" given?"the context of a UN mission," adding that she would bring up the incidents with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and other UNSC members.
• In comments to the media, Trudeau?said?"this is extremely troubling, so we will be bringing it up directly with Chinese officials and [government] counterparts and ensuring that this doesn’t continue to be part of an escalatory pattern.

Increasing frequency —?Anonymous sources told?Global News of nearly "60 of these types of intercepts with Chinese fighter jets since Christmas."

• Sources?also reported that Ottawa had already "sent multiple diplomatic reprimands to Beijing about the incidents" but that Beijing has not addressed the issue at hand.
• On social media, Lyle Holt, Commander of the?Command-Rear for UN bases in Japan,?described?the aerial activity as “disturbing."
• The Global Times, a Chinese state outlet, relayed the views of their own anonymous sources,?stating?"the truth is, it was the Canadian warplanes that traveled all the way to the East China Sea and conducted close-in reconnaissance and made provocations on China."

US launches Indo-Pacific economic pact as Ottawa missing

The Biden administration?heralded?the beginning of talks to create the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). The initiative, which brings together a dozen other regional economies, does not cover tariff reductions or reverse?Washington's earlier withdrawal from the CPTPP.

A China competitor??—?The official White House?factsheet?accompanying the launch described the framework as a standard-setter:

• IPEF, it states, is to be premised on the four pillars of supply chain resiliency, a clean economy, anti-corruption, and standardized connectivity through data, labour, and environmental rules.
• China's foreign ministry criticized the pact, with spokesperson Wang Wenbin?stating?that it "first and foremost serves the US economy" and "seeks to exclude certain countries, establish US-led trade rules... and decouple regional countries [from] the Chinese economy."

Regional reluctance —?Although several ASEAN members are part of the preparatory discussions, many were hesitant to?join due to China's exclusion:

• Reuters?reported?that several?capitals were wary of Taiwan's potential inclusion?and the?"fear of angering Beijing" in the lead-up to the pact's initial meeting.
• The Financial Times?disclosed?that the White House had to "water down" language at the final hour to attract additional members and that Japan had lobbied Washington to be more accomodating of regional concerns.
• Mahathir Mohamed, Malaysia's ex-Prime Minister,?said?"the US will always want to use groupings like this in order to isolate China" and that "many countries recognise that this is not an economic grouping but it is truly a political grouping."
• Separately, Mahathir?declared?that IPEF was an attempt to "apply pressure against China" and that this was "a very wrong attitude."

Ottawa MIA —?With Canada absent from talks for the framework, the government has tried to defend its lack of participation.

• Prime Minister Trudeau?stated?that "the fact that [the] US?isn’t in the CPTPP means they’re having to look for ways to try and to create connections with countries in the Pacific that they don’t have a free trade deal with."
• President Goldy Hyder of the Business Council of Canada asked "how is it our own neighbour and ally could leave us out of a long list of countries that have been included," adding that Canada is "taken for granted."
• The day before IPEF's launch, international trade minister Mary Ng attended APEC meetings in Bangkok and?announced?Canada had requested negotiations to enter the?Digital Economy Partnership Agreement between?Singapore, Chile, and New Zealand.

What They're Saying

China policy should have maybe four or five objectives and they should be achievable. They should be measurable. They should be high level. They should be built into ministers’ letters from the prime minister’s mandate letters and Canadians should be aware of how we’re doing. We also can’t be afraid to talk about China. This government for all its China naivete, and perhaps because of it, has been remarkably afraid of talking about China to Canadians.

—?David Mulroney, former Canadian Ambassador to China

The US?has begun to do everything possible to impose rules for world affairs derived from its domestic laws. It has asked China and other developing countries to observe those rules.?The US?and some of its allies are now accusing China of trying to undermine the rules-based global order, when China and other developing countries are only working to defend the world order based on the principles of the United Nations charter and international law.

—?Wu Zurong,?Research Fellow, China Foundation for International Studies

China has become much more assertive in its region and beyond...?In this shifting international context, Canada has a strong interest in preserving the rules-based international order because we benefit from the collective security and prosperity that derive from it. Yet as this order weakens and is replaced by a less predictable, more power-based order, Canada faces difficult questions... Domestic and international security are two sides of the same coin.

—??Task Force on National Security,?University of Ottawa

Thank you for reading?IPD's Canada-China Brief!

If you enjoy our work, please consider contributing:

DONATE HERE

NEWSLETTER BY?JOHNSEN ROMERO

IMAGE CREDIT:?JOHN BIESNECKER?|?WHITE HOUSE