Canadian-Asian Affairs

China has indicated that it is interested in importing Canadian uranium for use in its nuclear power generators. It has also suggested that it may consider purchasing more CANDU reactors for its anticipated nuclear power expansion project. However China has already snubbed Canada once on CANDU after the Canadian government hesitated at transferring technology to them. Another issue is that Canada has very strong controls over uranium export and as of now will not export large amounts to China. The usefulness of this policy is highly questionable. China already has a complete nuclear arsenal. By refusing to sell them uranium Canada is doing itself no favours. Australia certainly appreciates Canada's stance. They recently signed a lucrative deal with China to provide massive amounts of Uranium for China's growing nuclear power generation.

The IAEA and nuclear non-proliferation treaty have processes and institutions in place to control uranium. Canada should sell uranium to China with the simple caveat that if breeches in proper handling conduct occur the supply will cease.

Link: http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-11-15T113725Z_01_PEK88560_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-ENERGY-CHINA-CANADA-COL.XML

Posted by Ryan at 11:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Globe published a story this morning indicating that the Americans have asked Canada to participate in enforcing the Sanctions that the UN has approved against North Korea. While Canada still hasn't officially responded, it seems likely that it will participate on at least some level. This is the sort of hands on work Canada needs to be doing to raise its profile and influence in Asia. The Pacific fleet has a number of ships suitable for the task.

The question will of course be one of politics, as the Conservatives guess whether or not the mission will have public support. They've been quite battered recently on the Afghanistan issue and are thus unlikely to be keen on starting another commitment which may prove unpopular. As this action would have a very low possibility of casualties, and has UN approval it seems likely that the public will approve. The only major reservation would be that participating at this point would move Canada closer to committing in some way to a possible conflict on the Korean peninsula. However, it seems exceptionally unlikely that the situation will descend into a hot conflict. We've got a navy for a reason, and this is just the sort of mission they should be participating in.

Link: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/11/17/korea-cda.html

Posted by Ryan at 03:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Foreign Minister Peter MacKay has, unsurprisingly, signalled Canada's support of sanctions as a response to last week's nuclear test in North Korea. MacKay quotes Churchill in his justification of the sanctions. He also berated North Korea for acting "like an island." Apparently more fitting peninsular actions are required for progress to be made on the nuclear non-proliferation front.

Link: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061014/korea_nuclear_061015/20061015?hub=TopStories

Posted by Ryan at 06:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Prime Minister Harper acted along with world leaders around the globe by condemning North Korea's nuclear tests this morning. Canada has not played much of a role in the recent security situation on the Korean peninsula, and likely will not in the immediate future. That said, Canada does have diplomats in Pyong Yang where America does not. Furthermore Canada has what the DPRK needs: food and energy.

Posted by Ryan at 09:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Canadian representatives have signed a co-operation pact at ASEAN's annual meeting. The pact will see Canada and ASEAN member countries formalize intelligence and resource sharing in their anti-terror inititatives. Agreement signatories are encouraged to conform to UN standards in the fight against terror.

Southeast asia has been home to numerous terrorist related incidents including a number of bombings in Indonesia, a barely avoided attack in Singapore, and the actions a number of political-Islamist movements which since 2001 have drawn increasing attention as "terrorist" organizations.

Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060724.wasean0724/BNStory/International/home

Posted by Ryan at 09:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ottawa is pressing China to release information about what it has done with Uigyr activist and Canadian citizen Huseyincan Celil. Celil was recently extradited from Uzbekistan to China where he may face charges, imprisonment, and execution.

I suspect a good deal of diplomacy is going on in the background in attempts to assure Celil's safety. I also suspect China will be less than responsive until they perceive progress being made towards securing fugitive Lai Changxing, who is currently being held in Vancouver.

http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-06-28T215700Z_01_N28286630_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-CHINA-COL.XML&archived=False

Posted by Ryan at 01:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

North Korea recently launched 6 older scud style missiles into the sea of Japan, while also test launching their new Taepodong 2 missile which is rumoured to have long range capability. International response has been unanimously displeased.

The Taepodong 2 had been sitting on the launching pad for over a week before launch, making people nervous the world over. I've been suspicious about the reasons NK waited so long to launch, and originally suspected it was because they were unsure of the Taepodong's capability. It was worth more to them as a bargaining chip when it was a relatively unknown entity sitting on the launch pad. Now that they've tried to launch one and it exploded a few seconds after take off, it takes some of the shine off of their missile program. That said, it certainly can't be discounted as a threat, especially in the hands of such an unpredictable government.

Canada's official response has been rather muted. The military of course participates in Norad which claims to have been immediately aware of all of the launches. Goverment response however, has been lacking. Other countries, especially those with significant Asian Pacific interests have sternly condemned the launches. Australia for instance, a country with which Canada has much in common, has made significant headlines with its condemnations. In the meantime Canada, which is actually within the claimed range of the Taepodong and counts Japan, China and Korea amongst its most important trading partners, has been surprisingly quiet.

Posted by Ryan at 12:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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/

Posted by Ryan at 08:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Three Canadian warships, a selection of aircraft, and their crew members are in Hawaii preparing for this year's rim of the pacific exercise. The biennial exercises include forces from Australia, Japan, Chile, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States. They are meant to test operational ability and co-operation in the Pacific.

In related news, according to numerous media reports, Prime Minister Harper is set to announce a series of defense aquisitions. There likely won't be any surprises on the list: supply ships, transport aircraft, helicopters etc. They'll mostly be things that have been previously mentioned by the Tories or the prior Liberal government.

Link: http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=39bc3eb2-4d84-4215-964a-0e45c1768209&k=61042

Posted by Ryan at 06:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Canada and a host of other countries have decided to recognize World Refugee Day by acepting a number of refugess from Myanmar. The refugees have spent years living in camps in neighbouring Thailand. Most of the refugees are of the Karen ethnic group, whose members have been been repeatedly persecuted over the past fifty years.

Hopefully the new immigrants will find a safe and welcoming environment in Canada. A strong and organized diaspora could help to advance democratic reform in Myanmar.

Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060620.wrefugees0620/BNStory/Front

Posted by Ryan at 09:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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.

Link:

Posted by Ryan at 01:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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

Posted by Ryan at 12:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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.

Continue reading "Background: Conflict in Afghanistan" »

Posted by Ryan at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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

Posted by Ryan at 03:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In an unsurprising move, China refuted allegations that it has agents in Canada engaging in economic espionage. It is interesting to note that no mention is made of other covert activities, including monitoring and possible threatening of Chinese democracy movements active within Canada.

Peter Mckay would be well advised to tread softly here. This issue is touchy for the Chinese, singing to the media about it isn't likely to be of much help. But all that said, the government needs to assist companies like Research in Motion (Chinese state run telecom companies recently released a "Redberry" ripoff of their "Blackberry" email gadget) in protecting their intellectual property.
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/04/20/canada.china.ap/

Posted by Ryan at 06:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)