Harper Gets Slapped Around in China

“So where have you been for the last four years, Stevie?”

Premier Wen Jiabao opens up on Stephen Harper knocking him for staying away from China for so long.

Consider it payback for Harper’s treatment of the Chinese government for the past four years. Call it less than a warm welcome.

State-controlled Chinese media follow it up with a hit on Canada, back up with an interview with President Hu Jintao going on in the same vein, just in case we thought Wen was just speaking for himself.

They remind us China is just our second-largest trading partner (after the U.S) with something like $8 billion a year in trade. That’s one huge pile of mandarin oranges, any way you look at it.

Harper mumbles back something like the Chinese officials should have come to Canada first. Yeah, it would have helped if Harper had invited them. Always quick with the comeback, that Harper.

The Chinese are no fools. They know what Harper thinks of them, which isn’t much.

Last year he deliberately stayed away from their showcase Beijing Olympics. It was their big celebration to show the world who they are. Harper was the only leader of a major Western country to miss the Olympics.

For four years, it’s been like that. Chinese officials hate the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. They see him as a dangerous separatist. So what does Harper do? He bestows honorary Canadian citizenship on the Dalai Lama, our highest honor for a foreigner.

It makes headlines around the world. Ouch!

Talk about stepping on Chinese toes.

It’s not diplomacy or politics that’s behind it. It’s ideology. The Chinese leaders are convinced Communists and Harper is a Big “C” capitalist. Like fire and water. They hate each other with a passion.

Harper never misses a chance. Every few months he takes another round out of them, especially for their abominable treatment of Tibetan prisoners, and rightly so, although with what’s been coming out around here recently about Harper’s own treatment of our Afghan prisoners, they’ve got something to toss back at him.

Your Tibetan “terrorists” versus my Afghan “scumbags.” .

Harper’s government is forever approving the sale of “technical” equipment to China’s avowed enemy, Taiwan. It’s stuff the Chinese leaders keep calling “military” equipment, of course as they make another sale of Chinese tanks to some vicious African dictator.

There are justice issues too. Harper’s Canada refuses to send back millionaire Chinese embezzlers, hiding out in Canada as refugees. Lucky for them they have Harper. Back in China there’s a bullet in the back of the head waiting for them. Catch the irony -- Harper saving people from the death penalty. Wow!

Chinese leaders value state visits a lot more than we do. Call it insecurity. Harper doesn’t know how to play that fear to our advantage. He treats them like they were Liberals- fight, fight, fight.

MP Bob Rae calls Harper “an amateur” in international relations. Harper now has one visit to China; Jean Chrétien made 17 visits in 13 years. That was a record and brought in billions in foreign sales for Canada.

But lo, the Chinese leaders appear ready to open the door, at least a bit. It all depends on how Harper reacts.

They had all sorts of goodies for him. First they lifted the embargo on Canadian pork to China – worth about $100 million in sales right there.

Then they announced a new consulate for Montreal. Good for business and for families.

Then they designated Canada a “privileged nation” for tourism, just in time for the Vancouver Olympics. It will be a lot easier for ordinary Chinese to take a holiday in Canada. It’s at least 110,000 more Chinese visitors a year within a couple of years, and millions of dollars more in tourism revenue.

Harper had nothing for them in return, except another tongue lashing over their human rights record.

Interesting though, that after all the problems of the last four years, at least Harper the capitalist and Hu the communist were able to sit down and talk business, a language both of them understand.