The growth in Canadian exports to China has outpaced the growth of imports from China this year. This marginally narrows the very large trade gap between the two countries. If efforts to revalue the Yuan are successful, expect exports to continue.
There are unconfirmed reports that Huseyin Celil has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by the Chinese authorities. Celil's sister claims police officers in Xinjiang have made the sentence public. That said, neither the Canadian nor the Chinese government has confirmed the reports.
Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060911.CELIL11/TPStory/National
Amnesty International claims to have information suggesting Huseyin Celil will be executed by the PRC. The Chinese Foreign Ministry refuses to recognize Celil's Canadian citizenship, and has offered little to no public information about his well being.
There seems to have been very little progress made in this case over the past few months. It would be prudent to assume Amnesty International's information about Celil's impending execution is correct and do all that is possible to secure his freedom.
Huseyincan Celil a Canadian citizen who lives in Burlington with his wife and some of his Children has been extradited from Uzbekistan to China. The Chinese apparently want Mr. Celil in relation to his political activism in support of the Uigyr population. The Chinese also claim Mr. Celil is wanted in connection with the murder of government officials in the year 2000, but his family and supporters claim he was in Turkey under the auspieces of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees at the time.
It is unclear exactly why Celil was in Uzbekistan, but some media outlets are reporting he was trying to get his three children who remain in China out of the country. One wonders if the Chinese motivation for detaining Celil has anything to do with their desire to ensure the extradition of Lai Changxing. They have been quite vocal in their campaign to get him sent from Vancouver, where he is being held under suveillance by Canadian authorities, to China where he will face a corruption trial. Certainly holding Mr. Celil gives the Chinese something more to bargain with.
Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060627.CELIL27/TPStory/TPInternational/Asia/
Nato has agreed to almost double their troop presence in Afghanistan. This is a delicate time for Afghanistan. More security, and assistance opposing the Taliban insurgents who are trying to sabotage the establishment of a prosperous, comparatively free society is essential for a sucessful mission.
America has agreed to keep their troop presence at present levels as opposed to reducing them as had originally been planned.
Rights and Democracy, an arm's length foundation funded by the Canadian government, is holding their annual conference this month in Toronto. This year's theme is: Strengthening Democracy in Asia: New Networks and Partnerships for Human Rights and the Rule of Law. This is the precis from their website:
A cross-cultural dialogue to address some of the challenges for democracy in the Asia Pacific, help develop the effective implementation of human rights through national and regional mechanisms, and identify new opportunities for partnerships between Canadian and Asian organizations promoting human rights and democratic development.
Interested parties may follow the link below.
http://www.dd-rd.ca/site/what_we_do/index.php?subsection=documents&lang=en&id=1742&page=1
Canadian forces are currently undertaking a dangerous, but essential mission in helping the Afghani government maintain control of it's territory while assisting in the fight against a seemingly re-organized Taliban resistance. The Taliban should have been removed from power in the 1990's before they could go about their repressive ways, arbitrarily murdering those they disagreed with or who dared to disagree with them, while systematically suppressing the rights of everyone within the country. Now that the world has begun the job of rebuilding Afghanistan it can't in good conscience pick up and leave again until the job is done. Otherwise we risk letting the people of that country, who have lived with violence and oppression for so long, fall once again under it's oppressive sway.
Parliament voted today to officially support a two year extension of the Canadian mission to Afghanistan. This will see Canadian troops in Afghanistan until at least early 2009. Ultimately this is good news for Canadian interests and the world at large. While in an ideal world Canada would be able to stick to, what Jack Layton calls its traditional role of peacekeeping, the world is not perfect. Sometimes the peace can't be kept, and states need to be rebuilt from the ground up. Afghanistan is such a state that, if only for humanitarian reasons, needs the assistance of the world at large to re-establish itself as a viable state, with the ability to offer its citizens a safe, and enjoyable life.
The world can't leave Afghanistan now. Not only would it be a disaster for millions of Afghanis who could very well fall again under the rule, official or not, of the oppressive Taliban, but it would also be detrimental for global security. The argument made by people like Cindy Sheehan and her supporters that Canada is effectively supporting the US war in Iraq by having our troops in Afghanistan is misleading and falacious. This poor logic would prohibit Canada from participating in any overseas security mission that the United States is also participating in. It is short-sighted, and certainly not in the best interests of Canada or the world at large.
It was not long ago that people were asking the world to pay attention to the lives of Afghanis oppressed under the Taliban. September 11th brought the world's attention quickly, and we shouldn't let that attention fade until the situation in Afghanistan is improved. It's for the good of Afghanistan, and the good of the world.
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/05/17/afghandebate05172006.html