A visit from Harper would be 'nice'

Rod Mickleburgh And Daniel Leblanc

From Monday's Globe and Mail

August 11, 2008

BEIJING, OTTAWA — Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister said it would be "very, very nice" for the Prime Minister to visit China, even as other Conservatives defended Stephen Harper's handling of the country's relations with the Asian power.

PHOTO: Portrait of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Office of the Prime Minister

Foreign Affairs Minister David Emerson told reporters on the weekend that he was set to meet with his Chinese counterpart and that the next step could be a prime ministerial visit.

"Following that, it would be very, very nice to see the Prime Minster come to China, but I don't want to get the cart ahead of the horse. One thing at a time," Mr. Emerson said.

The Prime Minister's Office refused yesterday to say when or if Mr. Harper would go to China, but emphasized there is no plan for him to be in Beijing for the closing ceremonies of the Olympics. Mr. Harper has been criticized for not joining more than 80 other world leaders for Friday's gala opening in Beijing, given that Canada will host the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. He has not visited China since the Conservatives took office in 2006, worrying business leaders who feel his seeming lack of interest in China will hurt trade relations.

But Conservative officials said that Mr. Harper met with Chinese President Hu Jintao at the Group of Eight summit in Japan in July, and that Mr. Harper had no reason to go to Beijing for the opening ceremonies.

"Why would a political leader go to a non-political event?" Secretary of State Jason Kenney said yesterday on CTV's Question Period.

Mr. Kenney said the government would keep working to improve relations with China, while continuing to fight for increased freedom in that country.

"We will never allow human rights to be sacrificed to the almighty dollar," Mr. Kenney said.

Mr. Emerson also criticized a protester for using the Canadian flag to cloak a Tibetan flag she intended to unveil during an Olympic equestrian event in Hong Kong.

Police swooped down on the young woman as she tried to show the Tibetan flag, which they quickly covered with a blue cloth, and the protester was carted away.

Politics have no place at the Olympics, according to Mr. Emerson.

"I'm always disappointed when the Olympics are used as a venue for making these political statements on other issues, and for the Canadian flag to be used in this way ... of course I'm disappointed," he said.

The minister said Canada has spoken out clearly on the matters of Tibet and human rights in China.

"The question is to what degree do we mix human rights and these protests with the Olympic Games? I like to see the Olympic Games being about athletes, about peace and harmony in the world."

Mr. Emerson said the media and other critics of China's human-rights record should consider where the country was 30 years ago.

"China has reduced poverty more than any other country in the history of the world," he said. "Have they reached the Nirvana, the pinnacle of where we'd like them to be in terms of democracy and human rights? No, but they've come a long, long way."