Canada-China relations took a severe turn for the worse when Canada, at the request of the government of the United States, arrested the daughter of the head honcho of Huawei.

Huawei is an international information and communications technology solutions provider that has been banned by many Western democracies due to national security concerns.  The daughter’s name is Meng Wanzhou, and she was, supposedly, the Chief Financial Officer of her father’s company.  The United States alleges that this woman violated US laws. They asked Canada to fulfil a treaty obligation and arrest her so extradition proceedings could be commenced by the United States.   The Chinese government took offence to Canada cooperating with the United States by detaining Ms. Wanzhou.

Because Ms. Wanzhou’s father was, to say the least, a wealthy man, and as a result, a confidant of China’s President Xi Jinping, unprecedented pressure was directed at our government not to comply with the extradition requests of our closest ally and trading partner.  I can just imagine the hand wringing that went on among the over-rated bodies in our Prime Minister’s Office and the Department of Foreign Affairs. Both offices are occupied by raving incompetents, which events subsequent to the arrest (and so many other things) clearly demonstrate.

Foreign Affairs Minister (what a joke!) Freeland and Trudeau had no choice; they complied with the demands of the United States and arrested Ms. Wanzhou. Given her station in life and her dad’s money, she was able to hire first-class lawyers. They were successful in getting the lady out of jail on bail. A condition of bail was that she be confined to one of several mansions owned by her daddy.  Remember the condition of her confinement when I describe what China did in retaliation to Canada’s impertinence in not immediately complying with the Chinese government’s demand that Ms. Wanzhou be allowed to return to China and, in effect, the US extradition request ignored.

Within days of this woman’s arrest, the Chinese government arrested Michael Spavor, a Canadian businessman in China, and Michael Kovrig, a Canadian diplomat. They were charged them with some trumped up spying charge and thrown into jail where, it is reported, they are detained in Spartan cells with the lights on 24 hours a day. Of course, they have been denied bail and, it is reported that, unlike Wanzhou, they are confined in primitive conditions.  One can only imagine what these men are going through as their government sits idly by while absolutely nothing of substance is done to affect their release Although Canadian foreign service personnel have been allowed to see the captives, that is about all they have been able to accomplish. 

Shortly after the arrests, the Chinese Government, that beacon of freedom and bare-faced totalitarian liars, announced that they were suspending the importation of canola from Canada because, they said, the canola was contaminated, which it was not.  Of course, this decision hit Canadian farmers hard.  Our government’s solution was to lend the farmers money.  Not a very satisfactory solution but typical of what we have come to expect from incompetent governance endured by long-suffering Canadians.

All of these things were the result of China flexing its muscles and doing what it could to put Canada, along with its spineless leaders, in its place.

Just for a moment, imagine what it must be like to be a loved one of either of the incarcerated Canadians.  Trudeau and his pack of raving incompetents are alleging that they are conducting “quiet diplomacy,” which seems to be bureaucratic mumbo jumbo for doing absolutely nothing.  These people seem quite content to allow two innocent men to languish and be abused in a primitive Chinese prison system on charges no one takes seriously or believes have any substance.

I realize that negotiations in situations like this are sensitive, but much too much time has gone by to allow this situation—and blatant abuse of our citizens—to continue without, at least, doing something.

My idea of fighting back would be to hit the wealthiest of Chinese oligarchs where it hurts the most.  As I do not think we have much, if any, direct investment in China, we are immune to retaliation of a like form to what I am about to propose.

I would immediately announce to the Chinese government that we expect the release of our citizens within 48 hours, and if that demand is not met, the Canadian government will begin seizing assets in Canada owned by Chinese nationals.  The seizures would include publicly traded corporations, private corporations, bank accounts and real property owned by individuals directly or indirectly, or through share ownership in bogus corporations. This confiscation would be reversed if, and only if, our citizens are released within the time frame set out.

I would suspect that the most wealthy of the Chinese have substantial interests in Canada, and they are not about to lose these assets to satisfy the desire of one father who is trying to use his country’s influence to interfere with the Canadian judicial system and its bilateral treaties with other countries, including the United States.  It is my view that substantial pressure would be brought to bear on President Xi Jinping by his own citizens.

I realize that this is not the Canadian way of doing things, but we are not dealing with a logical adversary. The Chinese have become worldwide bullies and we have, in my opinion, two choices.  We can allow these people to roll over us or we can fight back.  One thing we cannot accept is the status quo.  If we do what I am suggesting, not only will we send a message that we are not to be treated in such a disrespectful manner, but that we are not about to be pushed around and intimidated either.  The result may very well be that the Chinese leadership actually begins to respect us for a change and start acting towards us in a more civilized manner.  Hopefully, our weak-kneed Prime Minister’s rule will not last too much longer and, our new leaders, in conjunction with the United States and other Western powers, working in unison, will force China to become an honest participant in world affairs and stop being the leeches they have morphed into.

Should the Chinese government refuse our demands, the upside is that we will repatriate much of Canada’s most beautiful city, a city that has been, for all intents and purposes, sold to various Chinese nationals, money launders and speculators, most of whom have turned Canadian tax avoidance into an art form.  The funds confiscated could be put to good use and we will rid ourselves of people who, too often, have abused our hospitality.

However, I do not think it will come to that. The Chinese will, I predict, reassess its position, do the civilized and decent thing, and release two innocent men.