The Institute for Peace & Diplomacy (IPD) is pleased to announce our upcoming panel ‘Assessing Canada-China Relations: Challenges and Opportunities.’ The discussion will take place on February 24th at 7:00 PM EST and can be watched live on Zoom.
The Canada-China bilateral relationship reached a low point in 2018 when Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were detained in China following Canada’s arrest of Huawei’s CFO Meng Wanzhou on an extradition request by Washington. Instead of celebrating half a century of bilateral ties, both countries have insisted that the other is at fault for the deteriorating relations.
As the global power structure continues to shift and China grows as an economic and industrial power, it is critical for Canada to revisit its policies and examine opportunities for pragmatic engagement. This panel will be an opportunity to reflect on past challenges, as well as discuss the short, medium, and long term considerations for Canada-China relations.
Registration is required to attend. Reserve your spot for free, here.
Opening Remarks
Senator Yuen Pau Woo
Appointed to the Senate of Canada in November 2016, the Honourable Yuen Pau Woo sits as an independent Senator representing British Columbia. He has been the Facilitator of the Independent Senators Group since 2017, and was re-elected for a second two–year term in December 2019. Senator Woo has worked on public policy issues related to Canada’s relations with Asian countries for more than 30 years. From 2005-2014, he was President and CEO of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. He is a member of the Trilateral Commission, and on the board of the Canadian Ditchley Foundation. Senator Woo is also a Senior Fellow at Simon Fraser University’s Graduate School of Business, and at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia.
Panelists
Dr. Paul Evans, Professor, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, UBC
Dr. Evans has been a Professor at the University of British Columbia since 1999, teaching Asian and trans-Pacific international relations and on January 1, 2021, Dr. Evans was appointed the HSBC Chair in Asian Research. A regionalist rather than country specialist, he has held visiting fellowships at various global institutions. An advocate of cooperative and human security, he has been studying and promoting policy-related activity on track-two security processes and the construction of multilateral institutions since 1988. He was a co-founder of the Council for Security Cooperation in Asia Pacific (CSCAP), the Canadian Consortium on Human Security, and the Canada-Korea Forum.
Dr. Henry (Huiyao) Wang, President, Centre for China and Globalization
Dr. Henry Wang is the Founder and President of the Center for China and Globalization (CCG), a leading Chinese non-government think tank that ranked among top 80 think tanks in the World. Dr. Wang is also an adviser to the Chinese government, having been appointed as Counselor for China State Council, China’s Cabinet by Chinese Premier in 2015. Dr. Wang is a thought leader on China and globalization, global governance, global trade and investment, global migration and talent flows, China’s international relations and China-U.S. trade relations.
Graham Shantz, President, Canada-China Business Council
Mr. Shantz served for over 25 years in Canada’s public service providing advice to Canadian governments, mainly on management of Canada’s relations with Asia. He has lived and worked for over 12 years in Asia, half of that in China. In Ottawa, Graham has worked in senior management positions in Global Affairs Canada, the Department of Finance and the Privy Council Office. In 2000-2001 he served as Canada’s lead negotiator for Foreign Investment Protection Agreements (FIPAs) and in 1996-1997 served as deputy chief negotiator for the Canadian team during China’s WTO accession talks. Over the past decades, Graham has been involved in numerous major bilateral visits between Canadian and Chinese leaders.
Moderator
Dr. Wenran Jiang, Advisor, Asia Program, Institute for Peace & Diplomacy
Dr. Wenran Jiang is a member of the IPD advisory board and the Director of Canada-China Energy and Environment Forum. He was a tenured professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Alberta. Before he took early retirement, Dr. Jiang was also a Japan Foundation Fellow, a Resident Fellow and a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars. He previously served as Special Advisor to Alberta Department of Energy on Asian market diversification. In recent years, Dr. Jiang has advised government agencies and private companies in the energy, mining, forestry and agricultural sectors on Asian market access and how to engage China, with a particular focus on energy efficiency and green technologies.
