Senator Ngo blasts China over approval of controversial national security law for Hong Kong and continued overreach into Canadian affairs
[For immediate release]- June 26, 2020
Today, Senator Thanh Hai Ngo issued the following Statement regarding China’s approval of a controversial national security law for Hong Kong and its continued interference in Canada’s affairs:
The National People’s Congress (NPC) of China’s recent resolution to enact national security legislation in Hong Kong drastically undermines Hong Kong’s autonomy and democracy under the principle of ‘One Country, Two Systems’ and the rules-based international order. I categorically and utterly deplore this gross violation by China of its international treaties and obligations. The UN-registered and legally binding 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, explicitly establishes the condition of Hong Kong’s continued autonomy and protections for human rights and fundamental freedoms. As a global community, it is imperative that we unite in condemning Beijing’s campaign of repression against the people of Hong Kong and stand in solidarity in supporting their legitimate demands for autonomy, human rights, and democracy, as laid out in the said Joint Declaration.
Beijing’s massive expansion of its pervasive ‘soft-power’ overseas has extended and advanced even throughout our national territory. Canada has not been immune to China’s campaign of influence and unrelenting intrusion. Under the auspices of the United Front Work Department, the establishment of Chinese-government affiliated organizations such as Confucius Institutes is well-documented. Canadian citizens have also been a target of the CCP regime’s overreach and despotism, on Canadian soil and abroad. Canadian Tibetans, Canadian Uighurs, Canadian Hong Kongers and Chinese Canadians that oppose China’s dictatorship are harassed and intimidated here at home, through China’s United Front networks. Furthermore, the list of Canadian citizens arbitrarily and illegally detained in China is extensive, which includes Huseyin Celil and the two Michaels (Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig). Only last week, both Michaels were formally charged with espionage after more than 550 gruelling days of interrogation, placing them at the mercy of a Chinese justice system with a conviction rate in excess of 99 per cent.
Unfortunately, it is not only our citizens that are paying the price for our government’s meek foreign policy stance vis-à-vis China, but increasingly, our economy is also bearing the brunt. Despite the lack of scientific evidence of COVID-19 transmission through food or food packaging, Canadian seafood exports to China must now undergo a mandatory testing regime before they can clear customs.
Countless attempts at dialogue and diplomacy with China have done little to alter the status quo. Now more than ever, it is time to take concrete actions. I call on the Canadian government to join with other democracies in holding Chinese and Hong Kong officials accountable for these violations. At this critical juncture, it is all the more imperative that we do so by imposing Magnitsky sanctions against Hong Kong and Chinese officials complicit in human rights transgressions. On the economic front, we should impose reciprocal and equally stringent countermeasures such as mandatory testing on all Chinese products being imported to Canada. As a last resort, should the CCP not heed our collective calls to cease its reprehensible behaviour, Canada should be prepared to use stronger diplomatic tools of statecraft, such as withdrawing our ambassador from China and expelling the Chinese ambassador.
For more information, please contact:
Office of the Honourable Thanh Hai Ngo, ThanhHai.Ngo@sen.parl.gc.ca
613-943-1599
Additional information:
Leo Housakos and Thanh Hai Ngo: We must invoke Magnitsky sanctions against China
Shuvaloy Majumdar: Canada must fight for Hong Kong’s freedom
Nathan Law: Hong Kong “is a battle for survival and for freedom”
How China uses shadowy United Front as ‘magic weapon’ to try to extend its influence in Canada
Nova Scotia lobster exporters feel the pinch of new COVID-19 testing in China
China charges Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor with espionage