Tories Warn Carney Against Expanding Military Cooperation With China

The Conservatives are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney not to pursue closer military cooperation with China, saying it exposes Canada to increased danger.

Tory defence critic James Bezan and foreign affairs critic Eric Duncan outlined their concerns in a Sept. 9 letter to Carney, urging him to also reject a “strategic partnership” with Beijing and not to seek any closer military ties, in the wake of reports that Canadian and Chinese defence officials met Sept. 4 to talk about military coordination.

“We will not stand up for our sovereignty or our values by working with a government that has kidnapped our people, interfered with our elections, dropped surveillance buoys in our Arctic waters, and set up secret police stations on Canadian soil,” the Conservative MPs wrote.

“We must not forget that China has repeatedly threatened the sovereignty of its neighbours, even challenging Canadian aircraft and vessels in the region.”

China’s Ministry of National Defence said Canada and China restarted military coordination talks for the first time since 2018, with defence officials from the two countries meeting Sept. 4 in Canada.

Beijing said the two sides “expressed willingness to strengthen practical exchanges and cooperation between the two militaries, and enhanced mutual understanding and trust.”

The last China-Canada Defence Coordination Dialogue was held in China in April 2018, prior to relations souring over Canada’s arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. extradition request and the subsequent detention of Canadian citizens Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor by China.

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) confirmed the Sept. 4 meeting between Chinese and Canadian defence officials.

“As part of ongoing working-level dialogue, Canadian and Chinese defence officials met on September 4, in support of ongoing military-to-military communications at the functional level,” CAF told The Epoch Times in a Sept. 7 statement.

Canadian Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan said that she did not have a bilateral meeting with the Chinese delegation. However, the head of U.S. Pacific Command Adm. Samuel Paparo did meet with Chinese Gen. Yang Zhibin on Aug. 31, where Pacific Command said the two talked about keeping open communication in order to “reduce the risk of miscalculation and promote safe and professional conduct between forces.”

Bezan and Duncan said Canada’s military meeting with the Chinese regime is different than the approach other allied countries are taking, as Ottawa is seeking closer cooperation.

“While certain allies have had conversations with the Chinese military, none of them are talking about increasing cooperation,” they wrote. “We sincerely hope that your government is not pursuing such a goal.”

In January of this year during a visit to China, Carney said he would like a “strategic partnership” with Beijing and said it “sets us up well for the new world order.” He also signed a number of memoranda of understanding with China including on closer law-enforcement cooperation and exchanges.

Although Opposition parties have called on Ottawa to make the agreement available for MPs to review, Ottawa has denied the request and said it pertains to matters such as stricter enforcement against fentanyl trafficking.

The Conservatives are criticizing the government’s approach of seeking closer ties with the Chinese communist regime.

“No ‘new world order’. No military cooperation with a regime that kidnapped our people, interfered in our elections, and set up police stations on our soil,” Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre posted Sept. 8 on X.