A view of the Taipei skyline. The trip sponsored by Taiwan includes both cultural events and meetings with Taiwanese government officials.Ann Wang/Reuters
Two Canadian MPs from the governing Liberal caucus have cut short a trip to Taiwan this week that would have overlapped with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to Beijing, which is aimed at patching up relations with China.
They say they are returning home three days early “informed by advice from” the Canadian government. Mr. Carney, making his first visit to China as prime minister, is visiting from Jan. 14 to 17 in an attempt to repair ruptured ties and find new investors and markets to make up for the economic damage inflicted by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Liberal members of Parliament Helena Jaczek and Marie-France Lalonde were part of a group of MPs, including three Conservatives, who accepted a six-day trip sponsored by the government of Taiwan to visit the self-governed island, which is in the crosshairs of Beijing.
Liberal MP Helena Jaczek was part of a delegation of MPs who visited Taiwan at the invitation of its government.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
The trip includes both cultural events and meetings with Taiwanese government officials. By departing Tuesday the two Liberal MPs are missing the part of the program that involves meeting Taiwanese government officials, including President William Lai from the China-skeptical Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) whom China’s ruling Communist Party dislikes and refuses to engage with.
The two Liberal MPs informed their Conservative colleagues on Monday, in Taipei, that they were heading home early.
China, which views Taiwan as a breakaway province, dislikes it when foreign politicians or government officials meet with Taiwanese officials, viewing it as interference in their domestic affairs. That includes the twice-yearly trips by Canadian parliamentarians, which are funded by Taiwan.
In a statement to JOBFlocks on Monday, the two MPs said “Canada’s position on Taiwan has not changed, and our focus in this visit has been on meetings related to trade, culture, and strong people-to-people engagement.”
Opinion: This will be the real test of Mark Carney’s visit to China
They said they had decided to cut the trip short after talking to Canadian government officials.
“It’s important that we avoid confusion with Canada’s foreign policy, given the overlap with the Prime Minister’s engagement in Beijing, which was only confirmed last week,” Ms. Jaczek and Ms. Lalonde said.
“We remain committed to efforts by the Prime Minister to expand sustainable and diverse trade partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region.”
Liberal MP Judy Sgro, the head of an informal Canada-Taiwan friendship parliamentary group, said the MP delegation visit to Taiwan had been planned for some time, but she acknowledged the sensitivity of the matter. “It’s a delicate situation.”
Opinion: Is more trade with China really a good idea?
Ms. Sgro said the members of Parliament had no intention of causing disruption and that Mr. Carney’s visit to China offered a real possibility of resolving or ameliorating trade disputes, including those affecting Canadian canola exports. Beijing imposed retaliatory tariffs on the crop as part of its response to Canada placing hefty levies on Chinese-made electric vehicles.
“Farmers, at the end of the day, matter a lot,” Ms. Sgro said. “If we can get something done on canola then that’s what it had to be.”
The three Conservative MPs on the Taiwan trip are Adam Chambers, Shelby Kramp-Neuman and Melissa Lantsman.
Beijing’s authoritarian Chinese Communist Party considers Taiwan a breakaway province even though it has never ruled the democracy of 24 million people – and it is making increasingly bold efforts to diplomatically isolate the self-governed island.
Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong called the Liberal MPs’ early return bowing to authoritarianism.
Liberal MP Marie-France Lalonde was also part of the delegation.Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press
“Ordering elected representatives home to avoid offending an authoritarian regime sends a clear message: convenience comes before principle,” Mr. Chong said.
“This kind of retreat weakens our democracy, our relationship with Taiwan, and rewards Beijing’s intimidation.”
He said Taiwan should not be a liability for Canadian government officials. “Taiwan is a partner in democracy, with a strong relationship between people, on trade and with a shared commitment to freedom and the rule of law.”
China under President Xi Jinping regularly voices its desire to annex Taiwan and has not precluded using force to acquire it. The People’s Liberation Army just recently wrapped up its latest series of military drills around the island. Defeated Nationalist forces retreated to Taiwan in 1949 after they lost the Chinese Civil War on the mainland to Mao Zedong’s Communists.
Taiwan is grappling with increasing efforts by China to discourage international engagement with the Asian territory. In 2000, Taiwan had diplomatic relations with 29 member states of the United Nations, as well as the Vatican. Today, the number is down to 11, plus the Holy See. Canada and Taiwan do not have official diplomatic relations, but the territory has been building robust informal ties with the West in order to protect itself.