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Douglas Todd: What does Taiwan want from Carney? That Canada will not sacrifice its security and economy

Taiwan's representative in Canada also wishes the people in his country were a bit more afraid of China than they are, given the threat of invasion and ongoing monitoring of people of Taiwanese origin in this country.

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How do people from Taiwan get along in Canada with people from the People’s Republic of China?

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“You know, this is a little bit tricky,” says Harry Tseng, head of Taipei’s Economic and Cultural Office in Canada.

Relationships were easier a few decades ago, Tseng said, when he was studying for his PhD in foreign affairs at North America universities.

“When I was a student I had friends from Mainland China. But nowadays I have to think twice. You know why? Because China has a policy of long-armed law enforcement. It’s called TNR, transnational repression,” Tseng said in an interview in Richmond, home to many of the roughly 45,000 people of Taiwanese origin in Metro Vancouver.

Since Communist China views Taiwan as an inalienable part of its territory and a renegade province, Tseng said China’s agents monitor ethnic Chinese people in Canada to see who becomes involved with Taiwanese people. 

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Today’s China, ruled by “dictator” Xi Jinping, Tseng said, is a grave military and economic threat to Taiwan, an island about the same size as Vancouver Island, but with a population of 23 million.

A major high-tech hub, Taiwan is only 180 kilometres offshore of China.

In the past few years China has been escalating its naval and air force “exercises” around Taiwan, whose capital is Taipei, in part to exert psychological pressure.

Still, in the midst of intimidation, Tseng, was in B.C. last week on a more pleasant mission — to lead a delegation to Haida Gwaii, where he met with Indigenous leaders to discuss trade and tourism opportunities. He’s also working on a yet-to-be-ratified trade agreement with Canada.

Tseng’s overall goal is to politely warn Ottawa not to get too cozy with Xi’s China, particularly through Prime Minister Mark Carney’s renewed trade deals. Tseng fears Canada’s closer ties could further jeopardize Taiwan’s independence.

The harms that the Chinese government inflicts on Taiwan, and its diaspora population in Canada, are both subtle and not so subtle, said Lihsin Angel Liu, director-general of Taipei’s economic and cultural office in Vancouver.

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For instance, Liu said the government of China has been pushing hard to force the little tourist town of Hope to remove the flag of Taiwan from among the many others it displays as a gesture of international welcome.

Last year, Hope responded to China’s complaints by taking down Taiwan’s red-and-blue flag, with a white sun. Then council raised it up again.

But two weeks ago, Hope Mayor Victor Smith said the government of Canada had “pressured” council to once more take down the flag, and replace it with the flag of Tapei. Hope city council has reluctantly agreed.

Harassment comes in other forms, said Liu. When Taiwan’s representatives in Canada post news on social media about their activities, Liu said “anonymous people will say something bad. They’ll say Taiwan belongs to China. I believe they are government sponsored.” 

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When Tseng was asked if the people of Taiwan are afraid of an invasion by China, he said he wishes they were — at least more than they are. Counter-intuitively, Taiwan’s stock market often goes up during China’s more intense military exercises, he said.

“It means our people don’t give a s–t,” he said, adopting non-diplomatic language. The people of Taiwan are being defiant even while Tseng is concerned China’s threat is growing worse.

He wants to remind Taiwanese people they’re “dealing with this dictator in China, who can do whatever he wants.” He’s particularly concerned that this year Xi “purged” China’s top general, a man Tseng said the dictator had himself appointed.

As it is, Taiwan is one of the most heavily fortified countries in the world. In addition to having a vast network of bomb shelters and tunnels, it has made an amphibious assault of its shoreline extremely difficult.

At a domestic level in Canada, Liu said people from Taiwan and China rarely interact.

Many Taiwanese people attend giant Ling Yen Mountain Temple in Richmond, visible from Highway 99. The Canadian census says about 18 per cent of Taiwanese Canadians are Buddhist, 22 per cent are Christian, and 64 per cent are non-religious.

Even though there is next to no mingling at social, cultural or religious events in Canada, said Liu, people from China and Taiwan often engage through business.

For instance, Liu said the founder of the largest Asian grocery store chain in Canada, T&T Supermarket, is Cindy Lee, a Canadian resident born in Taiwan. Liu said many people from China shop at T&T Supermarket’s more than 38 stores. 

Given a range of domestic and global tensions, Tseng was asked, ultimately, what does Taiwan want from Mark Carney?

“What do we want from him?” Tseng repeated, laughing. “We want no trouble from him.”

Specifically, Tseng hopes the Liberal government will not sacrifice Taiwan’s security and economy as it strives to dive into new “risky” trade agreements with China.

China accounts for about four per cent of all of Canada’s export trade, Tseng said. The U.S. makes up almost 70 per cent. Meanwhile, Taiwan comprises about one per cent.

That amount can grow, Tseng said. Taiwan now has a trade surplus with Canada, since it is the world’s leading supplier of semiconductors, providing 90 per cent of the most advanced, cutting-edge chips. But Tseng said Taiwan is also hungry for what Canada has: agricultural products, plus coal, nickel and iron ore.

A trade arrangement between Canada and Taiwan has already been hammered out, initialed by both sides, said Tseng. But the Canadian government has not signed off on it.

He urges Carney to give it the final stamp of approval, despite what China might think or do. “What is needed is the political will.”

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