Harper says human rights talk with China is paying off
PM warns China and "other goverments" to help shape a positive future for Syria
CBC News
Posted: Feb 10, 2012 8:01 PM ET
Last Updated: Feb 11, 2012 7:11 AM ET
Related
Related Stories
A day before wrapping up his second official visit to China, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said raising the issue of human rights with China is "paying dividends" but warns the Chinese and "other governments" need to help shape a positive future for Syria.
In an exclusive interview airing Saturday on CBC Radio's The House, Harper tells national reporter Susan Lunn his government has taken a "different approach" to relations with China and "will not refuse to talk about our democratic values, human rights issues, particular difficult consular cases."
"It was not an approach the Chinese were used to from Canada, but I think it’s an approach that is paying dividends for both of us," said Harper.
When asked whether China's responsiveness on the issue of human rights was connected to their growing interest in our natural resources, Harper said raising the issue of human rights "won't jeopardize our trade."
"I think they are sensitive to growing demands from their people that economic growth be accompanied by some social and political progress."
And despite "the slow progress", Harper said he remained "optimistic."
"As I talk to leaders here, particularly the next generation of leader[s], I think they have a good understanding that in the future progress is going to have to be more balanced," Harper said.
The crisis in Syria
Although Harper would not get into the details of his discussions with the Chinese on the crisis in Syria, he also made no effort to conceal their differences on the subject.
"We have a pretty profound difference of opinion with the Chinese government on the Syrian question," said Harper.
Harper's decision to raise the crisis in Syria with the Chinese was precipitated last weekend by a double veto from Russia and China on a UN Security Council resolution calling on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down.
Canada was quick to make its disappointment known, saying the UN Security Council's failure was "a free pass" for the illegitimate regime and those backing it.
In light of the continued violence since the Security Council's "failure to act," Harper said he hoped it would cause "Chinese and other governments to think twice about the course they're on."
The crackdown on civilians by Assad's regime has killed over 5,400 people since the uprising began in March, according to UN estimates.
"It's only a matter of time" before things change, said Harper, warning "the Chinese and everybody would be well-advised to recognize those realities and try and positively shape the future there."
Trade with China
During his week-long trip to China, Harper signed what he called the first "comprehensive economic agreement", namely the foreign investment promotion and protection agreement (FIPA), and more than 20 commercial deals valued at $3 billion.
When asked if a free trade agreement with China was in Canada's future, Harper said although it was "many steps" away, his government's agenda is to "diversify trade."
"My view is we get as many irons in the fire as we can and we see how far we can take it," Harper said.
However, Harper conceded "there would be a significant number of economic and other questions that would have to be answered."
Addressing the growing investment by state-owned Chinese companies in Canada's natural resources, particularly the oilsands, Harper said precautions are taken to ensure "there’s not broader objectives that might undermine Canadian security."
Nevertheless, Harper was quick to point out that Canada is selling 99 per cent of its energy to the United States and that penetrating the Asian markets was a priority for his government.
For CBC Radio's The House full interview with Prime Minister Stephen Harper tune in Saturday at 7 a.m. on Sirius Satellite Channel 159 or at 9 a.m. on CBC Radio One.
Share Tools
Top News Headlines
- 2 girls, woman found dead in Quebec home
- A Quebec man is in custody after police found three bodies – a woman and two girls – in a home south of Thetford Mines. more »
- Syria says army general killed in capital
- Gunmen in Syria assassinated an army general in Damascus on Saturday in the first killing of a high ranking military officer in the Syrian capital since the uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime began in March, the state-run news agency said. more »
- Old Age Security untouched until 2020, Flaherty says
- Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says Canadians should expect no changes to Old Age Security benefits before 2020 or 2025, and details about reform would be outlined over more than one budget. more »
- Bus rolls near Redwater, Alberta, injuring dozens
- Twenty-eight people were injured, three critically, when a Red Arrow passenger bus enroute from Fort McMurray rolled over Friday afternoon near Redwater, Alta. more »
Latest World News Headlines
- Greek cabinet approves new austerity bill
- The Greek cabinet on Friday approved a draft bill that would clear the way for further austerity and economic reforms that are a condition of a new €130 billion ($172 billion Cdn) bailout by the European Union and the IMF needed to avoid a disorderly default. more »
- Harper says human rights talk with China is paying off
- In an exclusive interview airing on CBC Radio's The House Saturday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper says raising the issue of human rights is paying off but warns the Chinese and "other governments" to help shape a positive future for Syria. more »
- Santorum calls on conservatives to reject Romney
- Presidential candidate Rick Santorum implored conservatives not to settle for Mitt Romney's more moderate record, and nominate an unapologetic conservative that "the party's excited about." more »
- Faces of Egypt's revolution
- The protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square have been dominated by a young and vocal generation of Egyptians demanding an end to the repressive regime of former president Hosni Mubarak. The following is a series of portraits of Egyptians from all walks of life, each affected in different ways in the year of the Arab Spring. more »
Dispatches »
- Inside Egyptian military's business web Feb. 10, 2012 1:51 PM When it got out of the business of war with Israel, Egypt's military got into the business of business. Over and under the table; on and off the books. Even using conscripts as cheap labour. CBC's Margaret Evans found shopkeeping generals rather reluctant to talk shop though.
Connect Newsroom Blog
- Siege in Syria, Ship Rescue & The Pickton Inquiry Feb. 9, 2012 8:08 PM We'll talk to a Syrian-American doctor tonight about whether the Assad regime is using medicine as a weapon.
- Bus rolls near Redwater, Alberta, injuring dozens
- Emailed rave rape pictures earn teen probation
- RCMP shooting suspect hoped to surrender before arrest
- Weed Man's sales tactics draw fire from consumer ministry
- Harper's China visit ends with panda pact
- Crane drops section of Port Mann bridge into B.C. river
- Old Age Security untouched until 2020, Flaherty says
- Horrific crashes raise questions about rural road design
- China blocks Canadian television footage of Harper