Taiwan’s foreign minister called on Canada to do more to sanction Communist China.
In an interview with Globe and Mail Joseph Wu on Sunday called on the Canadian government to consider expelling Chinese journalists working for the Communist regime and shutting down Confucius Institutes.
These schools funded from China aim to promote the Middle Kingdom abroad. They are found all over the world, and even in Quebec, where the Confucius Institute is based at Dawson College.
In the United States, the Trump administration, which has extremely strained relations with Beijing, placed these establishments under high surveillance this summer.
“I think something similar can be passed by the Canadian Parliament,” said Wu, who notes that the Chinese government is “deeply rooted in Canadian society”.
Hong Kong
The Taiwanese foreign minister also hinted that Canada should adopt financial sanctions – as strong as those imposed on the Russian leadership – on high-ranking Chinese people behind the crackdown in Hong Kong.
“It can be effective to let the people of Hong Kong know that they are not fighting alone and that they have the support of the free world,” Wu said.
Former British colony, Hong Kong returned to the Chinese fold in 1997, but is subject to a more democratic political regime than the rest of the country. However, many believe that Beijing is increasingly intrusive in internal affairs in Hong Kong, which triggered a huge protest movement last year in this autonomous region.
The next Hong Kong
Taiwan now expects to be Beijing’s next target. In an interview on Sunday, the island’s foreign minister noted that the Communist regime was increasingly making its military presence felt in the China Sea.
“A lot of people here in Taiwan say that the invasion [par la Chine] may have already started, ”said Joseph Wu.
Considered by Beijing to be a rebellious province, Taiwan seceded from mainland China in 1949 when the Communists seized power.
The island of 24 million people has since grown into one of the region’s most stable democracies and one of the most prosperous economies.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed to annex Taiwan by 2030.