Found in Translation

Found in Translation

Share this post

Found in Translation
Found in Translation
Senator Yuen Pau Woo said his role in Ottawa is to reshape Canada's China policy and help China find its leadership position in the world

Senator Yuen Pau Woo said his role in Ottawa is to reshape Canada's China policy and help China find its leadership position in the world

When China breaks the international law, he strives to change the inernational law to suit China.

Jun 12, 2023
∙ Paid
6

Share this post

Found in Translation
Found in Translation
Senator Yuen Pau Woo said his role in Ottawa is to reshape Canada's China policy and help China find its leadership position in the world
Share

Canadian Senator Yuen Pau Woo (胡元豹) is no stranger to controversies, especially when it comes to issues about China. 

When Canadians are working hard to fight against Chinese interference and planning to implement a foreign agent registry in 2023, Woo claims the registry is racist and could lead to a modern form of the Chinese Exclusion Act. 

When a motion was brought forward in the Senate in June 2021 to label China's treatment of its Muslim minority Uyghur population as genocide and called on the International Olympic Committee to move the 2022 Olympic Games out of Beijing, Woo voted against the motion and said Canada has not rights to lecture China on human rights abuses. 

When Canadians expressed their anger about China’s arbitrary detention of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig in retaliation for Canada’s arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou according to an international treaty between Canada and the U.S., Woo said Canada should recognize the legitimacy of China’s justice systems before Canada could find a solution. When the Two Michaels were finally released in September 2021 as well as Meng, Woo tweeted out an opinion piece by a Beijing apologist claiming Canada and U.S. ‘took Meng hostage in the first place’. 

Even more noticeably, when Woo started his job in the Senate in November 2016, his maiden speech on November 24, 2016, was to oppose a Senate motion condemning China’s ‘escalating and hostile behaviour’ in the South China Sea. A few months before that, the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague delivered a final and binding ruling that China’s expansive South China Sea maritime claims have no basis in international law. Canada, along with many other democratic countries, expressed support for the ruling.  

Screenshot of the Chinese-language interview on the website of “Asia Weekly”.

To gain a clearer understanding of Senator Woo, it is highly recommended that Canadians read an old interview about him, titled “Political Aspirations of an Independent Senator: A Conversation with Canada's Newly Appointed Senator, Yuen Pau Woo”.  

Originally published in the Chinese-language magazine Asia Weekly (亚洲周刊), in the 49th issue of the year 2016, the interview sheds light on Woo's vision and plans shortly after assuming his position as a Senator. In the interview, Woo explicitly stated that his role in the Senate was to reposition Canada's China policy and help China find its leadership position in the world. To illustrate his perspective, Woo discussed the South China Sea arbitration, emphasizing his desire to educate Canadian lawmakers to adopt a different perspective on the matter. 

The interview took place on November 21, 2016, and just three days later, Woo delivered his maiden speech in the Senate, opposing a motion that condemned China's aggressive actions in the South China Sea. 

Below is the complete English translation of the 2016 interview with Yuen Pau Woo, generated by ChatGPT and slightly edited for grammar purposes. 

Senator Yuen Pau Woo (胡元豹, right) and Ding Guo (丁果, left), the journalist who conducted the interview.

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Found in Translation to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Found in Translation
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share