According to Chinese officials,

[hiti]

Where has the Canada-China Joint Dialogue on Human Rights failed?

Your guesses are uninformed.

[Mimas]

Do you advocate that we "earn their respect" by keeping our mouths shut about anything that might upset them, while pleading with them to please just give our manufactured goods a chance? Please? Please?

Yeah, I bet the Paul Martin approach won us a ton of respect from the Chinese, and from all over. I bet George Galloway thought it was awesome too.

-k

George Galloway, whoever he is is not all that interesting here. What's interesting here is that Canada is making a great name for itself not only at the APEC meeting (everyone thought that Harper blundered there but were too diplomatic to say it, except George and his big mouth) but in Kenya too with Rona being the big hit there. Harper may have mastered politics at home and may have the media on his side but overseas people aren't being so convinced by his performance and the media is not so nice. I hope he stays at home more because things are starting to become embarrassing.

[Mimas]

You don't like George Galloway? Liu Jianchao, China's foreign ministry spokesman says the same thing only with more diplomacy.

You mean this part?

"The first thing I would like to say is that China attaches importance to our bilateral relationship," said Liu.

"This is the first thing. And second, we think that country-to-country relations should be based on equality, mutual benefit and mutual respect."

Asked if enough respect had been shown in China's view, Liu's answer was, well, diplomatic.

"I think the mutual respect would be beneficial for both sides, so if the two countries are committed to further development of China-Canada relationship, I mean all the parties, both parties, should make efforts towards this end."

If they're such big believers in mutual respect, maybe they should show some.

-k

They are. If they were not, they would come out telling Harper to remove the muzzles on his MPs before he lectures them on democracy.

[hiti]

Harper and Human Rights at APEC

http://www.ottawasun.com/Comment/Dewar/200...18/2416866.html

[scribblet]

"The price paid by Canada for that "healthy relationship" would be to stand idly by while China's Communist government abuses the rights of its citizens. That Mr. Harper refuses to pay that price is a testament to his commitment to human rights.

In the end, Mr. Harper did have an informal meeting with China's President at the APEC summit, during which both trade and human rights were discussed. Whatever Mr. Harper told Mr. Hu at that meeting, it was secondary to the larger message he'd already sent -- that our commitment to human rights will not be turned on and off according to the preferences of Beijing's Communist government."

It wouldn't matter what Harper did or said, the culture of opposition, generally of a malicious nature, is too embedded.

[kimmy]

Where has the Canada-China Joint Dialogue on Human Rights failed?

uh, I think the question is, what has it ever achieved? You present it as an example of how our dialog with China ought to be handled, so the question is, what's so great about it? What has it ever accomplished?

As far as I can determine, it's just as much hot air as Harper's "frank and open" talk of the past week.

George Galloway, whoever he is is not all that interesting here.

Hiti presented George Galloway was presented to me as an example of how the international community views Harper's performance this past week, so I think a discussion of George Galloway and his credibility was very relevant to the discussion.

Disagree?

What's interesting here is that Canada is making a great name for itself not only at the APEC meeting (everyone thought that Harper blundered there but were too diplomatic to say it, except George and his big mouth) but in Kenya too with Rona being the big hit there.

Have any examples, aside from Mr Gallaway, of how everyone thought Harper blundered?

Harper may have mastered politics at home and may have the media on his side but overseas people aren't being so convinced by his performance and the media is not so nice. I hope he stays at home more because things are starting to become embarrassing.

And where are these examples of *international* media criticizing Harper for his performance of APEC?

If they're such big believers in mutual respect, maybe they should show some.

They are. If they were not, they would come out telling Harper to remove the muzzles on his MPs before he lectures them on democracy.

Well, first off, I believe the issue was "human rights", not "democracy", and secondly, do you actually feel there's any comparison between the Conservative Party of Canada and the Communist Party of China? I mean, I know everybody loves hyperbole, but seriously?

-k

[theloniusfleabag]

Dear kimmy,

do you actually feel there's any comparison between the Conservative Party of Canada and the Communist Party of China? I mean, I know everybody loves hyperbole, but seriously?

They both have a suspicious amount of "C's" in their party title...but really, the only thing to fear is parties that start with "The People's Democratic Republic of..." Then you know they are trouble!

[hiti]

Where has the Canada-China Joint Dialogue on Human Rights failed?

uh, I think the question is, what has it ever achieved? You present it as an example of how our dialog with China ought to be handled, so the question is, what's so great about it? What has it ever accomplished?

As far as I can determine, it's just as much hot air as Harper's "frank and open" talk of the past week.

-k

Check for yourself what this dialogue has achieved.

quote; In general Chinese participants in the dialogues point to several human rights areas that China has addressed based on foreign input. These include such significant developments as the presumption of innocence in the Criminal Procedures Law, legislation to address violence against women and sexual harassment, and improved procedures in police conduct and prison management.

Assessment of the Canada-China Bilateral Human Rights Dialogue

Also in pdf