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Global Affairs objected to Canadian military decision to cancel training with People's Liberation Army
Classified Canadian government documents released to media outlets, including The Globe and Mail, reveal that the department of Global Affairs disagreed with the Canadian military to cancel the winter military exercises with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China in 2019.
In a memo to Ian Shugart, then deputy foreign minister, it was said that the "unilateral decisions" by the military to cancel previously agreed co-operation with the PLA "risk being interpreted by China or others in an unintended (and unhelpful) way" and "could also damage Canada's long-term defence and security relationship with China."
The diplomats feared that any reductions in military ties between the PLA and the Canadian army may be viewed as a "retaliatory move" concerning the cases of Meng Wanzhou and the two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, detained by China.
The revelations triggered a public outcry among Canadians. Critics said the disagreement indicates that Canada's China policy has been contradictory and incoherent. "It is more urgent than ever, in the context of an increasingly belligerent and assertive China, to present a united political front," said Charles Burton, a China expert. "This is really about the defence of our sovereignty and security on matters over which there is consensus across the political spectrum in Canada."
Sources: The Globe and Mail #Dec09
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-global-affairs-objected-to-canadian-military-decision-to-cancel/
CBC/Radio-Canada #Dec12
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-china-pla-peoples-liberation-army-1.5838658
#Canada #China #PLA
Classified Canadian government documents released to media outlets, including The Globe and Mail, reveal that the department of Global Affairs disagreed with the Canadian military to cancel the winter military exercises with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China in 2019.
In a memo to Ian Shugart, then deputy foreign minister, it was said that the "unilateral decisions" by the military to cancel previously agreed co-operation with the PLA "risk being interpreted by China or others in an unintended (and unhelpful) way" and "could also damage Canada's long-term defence and security relationship with China."
The diplomats feared that any reductions in military ties between the PLA and the Canadian army may be viewed as a "retaliatory move" concerning the cases of Meng Wanzhou and the two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, detained by China.
The revelations triggered a public outcry among Canadians. Critics said the disagreement indicates that Canada's China policy has been contradictory and incoherent. "It is more urgent than ever, in the context of an increasingly belligerent and assertive China, to present a united political front," said Charles Burton, a China expert. "This is really about the defence of our sovereignty and security on matters over which there is consensus across the political spectrum in Canada."
Sources: The Globe and Mail #Dec09
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-global-affairs-objected-to-canadian-military-decision-to-cancel/
CBC/Radio-Canada #Dec12
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-china-pla-peoples-liberation-army-1.5838658
#Canada #China #PLA
The Globe and Mail
Global Affairs objected to Canadian military decision to cancel training with China’s People’s Liberation Army
Government documents show that officials at the highest levels of Global Affairs were alarmed that General Jonathan Vance, Chief of the Defence Staff, had cancelled winter military exercises with the PLA in 2019