On May 10, 2024, the Max Bell School of Public Policy collaborated with the Wilson Center to host “Canada, the United States, and an Ascendant China,” the second conference in the Slater Family US-Canada Policy Series. Through discussions on security, international cooperation, trade, and human rights, the conference highlighted strategies for addressing China’s rise on the world stage.
Opening Remarks
Christopher Ragan opened the conference by explaining the historic and contemporary importance of US/Canada relations, noting that “domestic” policy issues such as corporate taxation, environmental protection, and transportation are often interconnected between the US and Canada. Ragan expressed his hopes that this conference would be a “concentration of expertise that can be of benefit to people in both countries.”
Plenary 1: Regional Security
Shihoko Goto moderated the first panel, which discussed cooperative responses between the US and Canada as China becomes a security threat in the Indo-Pacific region. Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee defined threat as both capability and intent, establishing that China clearly has capability, although intent is difficult to measure. Avenues of cooperation between the US and Canada were outlined, including military alignment and joint assistance of countries in Southeast Asia. Janice Gross Stein focused on the role of technology in international relations with China. She emphasized China’s ambition to technologically outpace the US in the near future. Panelists discussed China as an international threat and how this position leads to difficulties establishing effective strategic relations with China. The plenary underscored the importance of working collaboratively to respond to China’s rising power in the Indo-Pacific.
Plenary 2: Security at Home
The second panel, moderated by Wesley Wark, focused on China as a security threat to the US and Canada, including the potential of US-Canadian collaboration. Craig Singleton warned that the US and Canada must cooperate to increase their defensive and offensive capabilities in civic spaces as Chinese campaigns attempt to create mistrust. Panelists examined changes that were made to the Canadian Security Intelligence Services (CSIS) act as an imperative of different sectors of society, noting that Canadian transparency is a distinguishing feature from China. Robert Daly challenged the definition of “influence operations”, saying that dis-information and attacks on democracy should be called “grey-scale attacks” instead. He additionally cautioned against the racism that runs throughout discourse of Chinese influence operations. The panelists discussed cooperative solutions, such as the creation of a national security policy, that can be taken by both the US and Canada to increase resilience to Chinese intervention. Throughout the panel, speakers provided a nuanced understanding of China as a threat while sharing methods for protecting national security.
Plenary 3: Human Rights, Democracy, and International Institutions
Moderated by Jennifer Welsh, the third plenary session focused on collaborative methods between the US and Canada for addressing China’s human rights record. Panelists spoke about Chinese aggression internationally, but mainly addressed its treatment of the “Five Poisons of the Chinese Communist Party”: the Uyghurs, Tibet, Taiwan, Falun Gong, and democracy. Emile Dirks highlighted the international effects of Chinese human rights violations. The panelists discussed the important role of colonial legacies in understanding human rights issues. James Millard acknowledged that territorial conflicts and the Chinese Communist Party arise from past and ongoing colonial legacies, drawing comparisons between contemporary China and older empires. In the discussion, panelists examined how to move forward with a spirit of humility in dealing with China. Overall, the discussion emphasized the importance of promoting universal human rights and sovereignty while maintaining peaceful coexistence when possible.
Plenary 4: Trade and Commerce
The fourth panel, moderated by Graham Shantz, focused on the potential of shared economic strategies between the US and Canada to act against China. Panelists established the centrality of trade and commerce in the US/China rivalry. Anna Ashton spoke to the Chinese perspective on trade and commerce, naming some of the country’s industrial goals to be moving up the value chain, achieving industrial automation, and eventually reaching a more self-sustaining growth model through domestic consumption. To understand how the US and Canada can work together to respond to China’s rise in the world economy, Guy Saint-Jacques proposed that the US, Canada, and Australia should agree to limit exports with China if a signatory is sanctioned. He also advocated for a reinforcement of the multilateral trade system as a method of responding to China. The strategies and perspectives discussed underscored the need for collaboration between the US and Canada to effectively moderate China’s ambitious strategies.
Plenary 5: Opportunities for Cooperation with China
This plenary, moderated by Jeff Nankivell, examined avenues for collaboration between the US, Canada, and China such as climate change, pandemic response, people-to-people contacts, and opioids. To begin the discussion, panelists established boundaries regarding terms of cooperation with China, which included preservation of values and transparency. Sandra McCardell discussed environmental cooperation with China, saying that biodiversity is an agreeable point of entry for all countries. Speaking to pandemic response, Yanzhong Huang named areas in which the US, Canada, and China could work together such as information sharing, biosafety, development of vaccines, and coordination on travel and trade restriction measures. In attempting to maintain an international relationship that is often tense, the panelists collectively emphasized the importance of transparency and communication between all parties, especially as the future of diplomacy with China remains unclear.
Closing Remarks
Vincent Rigby and Christopher Sands gave closing remarks for the conference. Speaking to the Canadian perspective, Rigby highlighted the importance of strengthening ties with the US. He also highlighted different diplomatic approaches which had been discussed throughout the conference, including “looking at and working with multilateral organizations where Canada and the US have challenged China, and perhaps using more innovative tactics such as returning to the Global South.” Sands discussed why collaboration between the US and Canada was essential to respond to an ascending China, saying, “there is a real risk of violent conflict that could be quite devastating.” Despite the severity of the diplomatic situation with China, he closed on a positive note, identifying the conference as a source of meaningful policy exchange.
