Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the way the West deals with Beijing could expose people China Those who “disagree with the rule that there are other ways of doing things.”
His comments come as China grapples with nationwide protests in response to Beijing’s “zero-Covid” policy – protests that are the biggest show of anti-government sentiment since the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, which ended in a massacre.
Canada stands with people to ‘express themselves’ amid China’s COVID-19 protests: Trudeau
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Global News asked the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) about his comments, and specifically to clarify whether Trudeau was referring to all people in China who disagree with the current government, or just the nationwide demonstrations. I am protesting.
A PMO spokesperson replied that the office had “nothing further” to say on the subject.
The prime minister made the remarks on the Reuters Next program on Wednesday morning, when a host asked Trudeau about the West’s current relationship with China.
“I think there are varying degrees of engagement throughout the West. There is not a single point of view, but a continuum and an understanding that China is an important global economic power, but it is also an increasingly challenging or disruptive global economic power, and We have to be thoughtful about how we engage in commercial and economic relations that benefit our citizens,” he said.
Trudeau said the engagement needed to show a “consistent” approach “that we’re going to stand up for our values, for our principles, for the things that our citizens in the West expect us to stand for.” — not just for their own purposes, but to highlight to those in China who disagree with the regime that there are other ways of doing things and a better future is, possibly, ahead.”
According to Guy Saint-Jacques, former Canadian ambassador to China, this statement indicates a “very strong position” by the prime minister.
St-Jacques told Global News over email when asked about his reaction to the remarks, “I don’t remember him being so forceful and his position toward China is a far cry from his when he came to power in 2015. “
Of course, China will claim that it is interfering in its domestic affairs. While this may not help in restoring some dialogue between the two countries, also, if you believe in democracy, you have to take such a stand.
As protests continue across the country, some protesters have begun calling for the resignation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. The vocal protests came just weeks after Xi secured an unprecedented third term as leader after the Chinese president abolished the presidential two-term limit in 2018.
The latest protests in China are a response to Beijing’s continued use of the “zero-covid” strategy amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a strict policy aimed at isolating each infected person to limit the spread of the virus.
As a result, millions of Chinese citizens have faced widespread quarantine orders, mandatory testing and severe restrictions, all of which have been the target of growing protests across the country.
Protests have sprung up in at least eight major cities across China, as well as several school campuses, and appeared to be growing after a fire broke out at a residential high-rise building in the city of Urumqi last Thursday.
The fire killed 10 people, and as videos of the incident went viral on social media, allegations mounted that the lockdown played a role in the deadly fire.
Many of Urumqi’s 4 million residents are under some of China’s longest lockdowns, barring them from leaving their homes for up to 100 days. Chinese officials have denied evading COVID-19 measures and hindering rescue efforts.
But during Xinjiang’s lockdown, some residents elsewhere in the city physically barricaded their doors, including a man who spoke to The Associated Press who declined to be named for fear of retribution was.
Authorities in China’s western Xinjiang region led a pressure of protests to open some neighborhoods in the capital of Urumqi on Saturday, following extraordinary late-night demonstrations against a “zero-COVID” lockdown in the city that has been in place for more than three years. Lasted till months.
As protests continue across China, Trudeau said Tuesday that Canadians are “watching very closely.”
“Obviously, everyone in China should be allowed to express themselves, should be allowed to share their viewpoints and really protest,” he said on Tuesday.
“We will continue to make sure that China knows that we will stand up for human rights, we will stand up for those who are expressing themselves.”
– Global News’ Aaron D’Andrea, with files from The Associated Press and Reuters
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