Dozens of Chinese Canadian groups side with Beijing’s stance on Taiwan

When a group of Canadian parliamentarians recently announced plans to visit Taiwan, Beijing‘s response was swift, with its Ottawa embassy vowing “resolute and forceful measures” against any country interfering in China’s territorial integrity.

Beijing’s Foreign Ministry had earlier summoned Canadian diplomat Jim Nickel over a G7 statement that called on China to peacefully resolve tensions surrounding U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit to Taiwan, telling Nickel the statement was helping “a villain do evil.”

But pressure over Taiwan is also being applied from within Canada.

Dozens of Chinese Canadian associations have echoed Beijing’s positions, declaring support for Chinese “reunification” with Taiwan to be a “sacred mission of all Chinese sons and daughters at home and abroad.”

“Chinese Canadians overseas will firmly support the Chinese government’s political stance and fight against any external forces that try to split and undermine China’s unity,” read the letter, published in Dawa News, a Chinese-language outlet based in Canada.

The letter was published on Aug. 16, the same day that the Canada-Taiwan Friendship Group of Canadian parliamentarians announced their planned visit to Taiwan in the fall.

Pifeng Hu is honorary president of the Richmond, B.C.-based Peace and Development Forum of Canada, one of the 87 signatory groups to the letter. Fellow signatories include prominent umbrella groups such as the Canadian Alliance of Chinese Associations, chambers of commerce, as well as small bodies devoted to special interests such as wine and poetry appreciation.

Hu said in an interview in Mandarin that Chinese Canadians considered Taiwan and China to be “one family.”

“So why do we organize activities like this? Because we still have feelings for our country of origin and the hometowns we grew up in,” said Hu.

“We don’t want to see people on both sides of the (Taiwan) strait to continue to argue with each other.”

Hu said his organization had held public discussions about Taiwan issues, but had never invited anyone who supported Taiwanese independence because their opinions were incompatible with those of his group’s members.

Beijing opposes activities that it believes breach its territorial integrity, such as Pelosi’s Aug. 2 visit to Taiwan, which it views as a Chinese province.

Canada subscribes to the One China policy, which holds that there is only one Chinese government, and does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan’s government.

Pelosi’s visit prompted Beijing to issue an Aug. 10 policy white paper entitled “The Taiwan Question and China’s Reunification in the New Era,” reiterating Beijing’s position that Taiwan has been part of China since ancient times and its reunification with the mainland represents a historic mission for the ruling Communist Party.

The Dawa News letter cited the white paper as a demonstration of the will of the Chinese government and people to pursue reunification.

Trending Stories

• Over a quarter of items sold at Canada’s dollar stores have toxic chemicals: report

• Is your boss guilty of ‘quiet firing’? Here’s how to tell

China urges U.S not to be ‘troublemaker’ after its warships transit Taiwan Strait