As far north as Yukon, China’s diplomats are mobilizing overseas Chinese against Taiwan in Canada

English and French-speaking communities are also their target.

China’s Top Diplomat in Vancouver Visited Yukon and Two B.C. Universities    

Within 20 days of China publishing a new whitepaper on Taiwan, the Chinese diaspora in the remote territory of Yukon have received their own copies, hand-delivered by Wang Chengjun, China’s Acting Consul-General in Vancouver, according to the consul website.

During a recent visit to Yukon, Wang held a meeting with overseas Chinese in the local community, according to a report on August 29, 2022 the Consulate’s website. 

The post read,  “With Pelosi's recent visit to Taiwan, the U.S. has unilaterally changed the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, seriously infringed on China's sovereignty and severely interfered in China's internal affairs. As a response, Acting Consul-General Wang introduced the Chinese government's strict position in detail as well as the strong countermeasures it has taken. Acting Consul-General Wang pointed out that the Chinese government will firmly safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and Taiwan’s attempt to seek independence by holding foreign countries hostage, and any countries’ attempts to control China through the Taiwan issue are both doomed to fail. The reunification of the motherland (with Taiwan) is a wheel of history rolling forward rapidly; nobody and no forces can stop it.” 

After distributing copies of China’s white paper on "The Taiwan Issue and China's Reunification in the New Era" to those attended the meeting, Wang “conveyed his good wishes and ardent expectations to the overseas compatriots in the consular district ”, referring to the Chinese living in Canada as “overseas compatriots.”

The Yukon trip is just one of the events on Wang’s busy schedule for August. Earlier that month, Wang also visited the interior of B.C. to hold meetings with Chinese students to address the Taiwan issue at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus in Kelowna and Thompson Rivers University’s campus in Kamloops. 

A Globe and Mail report said administrators at both universities were unaware of these meetings, but the Chinese Students and Scholar Association (CSSA) of Thompson Rivers University confirmed the meeting on its website. 

CSSA, with hundreds of affiliated organizations in educational institutions in Canada and other countries, is repeatedly reported to be the long arm of the Beijing government and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). A report on the U.S. Department of State’s website indicates the founding directive of CSSA is “to monitor Chinese students and mobilize them against views that dissent from the CCP's stance”. 

China’s Toronto Consul-General Held Symposium with Many Community Organizations

Han Tao, China’s Consul-General in Toronto attended a symposium on anti-Taiwan independence and China’s unification, held by Chinese Canadians for China's Unification (GTA) on Aug.17, 2022. 

Dozens of Chinese Canadian organizations attended the meeting, and many of them are often referred to as United Front groups, including the Confederation of Toronto Chinese Canadian Organizations (CTCCO), and the Council of Newcomer Organizations.

At the meeting, Han Tao shilled China’s new white paper on Taiwan, claiming “Taiwan is a part of China”, which is not a recognized stance by Canada. Han Tao called on the attendees to work towards the reunification of Taiwan and the motherland under the guidance of China’s new white paper. The attendees, many of whom likely hold Canadian citizenship, expressed their strong support for the Chinese government.

Chinese Canadian Organizations Across Canada Released Statements Repeating Beijing’s Line on Taiwan

As we reported before, a group of organizations in the Greater Vancouver area released a joint-statement supporting China’s Taiwan whitepaper on Dawa News on August 16, 2022. 

A quick look into the Chinese language media and you’ll find similar statements are popping up in other cities in Canada almost simultaneously.

On the website of China News Service, a reports said, “Recently, many overseas Chinese organizations in Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary and Edmonton have been speaking out in various forms, expressing their firm opposition and strong indignation to Pelosi's move to Taiwan, and firmly supporting the Chinese government's countermeasures.”

China News Service (CNS) is directly owned by the United Front Work Department (UFWD) of China. According to Jamestown Foundation, a Washington D.C.-based think tank, CNS is "the CCP’s main propaganda organ targeting overseas Chinese."

Image source: Page 124-125, “Hidden Hand: Exposing How the Chinese Communist Party is Reshaping the World” by Clive Hamilton and Mareike Ohlberg.  

Chinese Diplomats Actively Push China’s Narrative on Canada’s English and French Language Media 

It is not unpredictable that Phoenix TV, a Chinese government-linked network spreads disinformation on Taiwan issue. But when similar narratives keep appearing in the English and French media in Canada, authored by China’s diplomats, it is a concern. 

Here is an unexhaustive list for August 2022:

• Aug. 5, 2022: Cong Peiwu, China’s Ambassador to Canada, published an op-ed in the Ottawa Life magazine, titled "The One-China Principle Brooks No Challenge".

• Aug. 6, 2022: Chen Xueming, China’s Consul-General in Montreal, published an piece on Le Devoir, a French-language media, headlined “Nancy Pelosi à Taïwan: trahir les engagements des États-Unis”. 

• Aug. 11, 2022: Cong Peiwu published an opinion piece on Business in Vancouver, headlined “China does not seek conflict in the Taiwan Strait; the United States does”.

• Aug. 25, 2022, Cong Peiwu published an op-ed entitled "Uphold the Right Position, Oppose Risky Provocations" in Esprit de Corps, a Canadian military and defense magazine.

It has surely been a busy month for the Chinese diplomats to Canada since U.S. House speaker Pelosi visited Taiwan, especially after a group of Canadian MPs announced their own Taiwan trip plan. From the Chinese diaspora community, university students to English and French media, Chinese diplomats in Canada have been busy exerting pressure on various fronts to influence the Canadian society.

What will Ottawa’s response be?

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References:

驻温哥华代总领事王承军赴育空地区开展领事巡视
https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/web/wjdt_674879/zwbd_674895/202208/t20220830_10757414.shtml

王承军代总领事走访慰问内陆地区侨胞和中国留学生
http://vancouver.china-consulate.gov.cn/news/202208/t20220811_10740883.htm

Supporters of Beijing ramp up their opposition to Taiwan independence in Canada amid global tensions
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-supporters-of-beijing-ramp-up-their-opposition-to-taiwan-independence/

The Chinese Communist Party on Campus: Opportunities & Risks
https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/CCP-on-campus-FINAL.pdf 

Nancy Pelosi à Taïwan: trahir les engagements des États-Unis
https://www.ledevoir.com/opinion/libre-opinion/742245/nancy-pelosi-a-taiwan-trahir-les-engagements-des-etats-unis?utm_source=recirculation&utm_medium=hyperlien&utm_campaign=corps_texte

The One-China Principle brooks no challenge
https://www.ottawalife.com/article/the-one-china-principle-brooks-no-challenge?c=1

Commentary China does not seek conflict in the Taiwan Strait; the United States does
https://biv.com/article/2022/08/china-does-not-seek-conflict-taiwan-strait-united-states-does