China takes firm steps to rescue itself from the US dollar trap

On May 8, 2009, Dr. Jiang was requested by a number of papers around the world to provide a short version of his April 28 YaleGlobal piece on what China is doing recently on the global financial stage, including the Globe & Mail.

His paper was also covered by a Mexican Magazine Enkidu "China: What world recession?".

Hard lessons of SARS crisis explain China's tough action

On May 6, 2009, Dr. Wenran Jiang was invited to write an Op-ed article in Toronto Star, commenting on China's aggressive measures against the swine flu, including quarantining Canadians travelling in China and banning Alberta pork.

Wenran advises Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon to discuss these issues with persuation, not threat, during his scheduled visit to Beijing next week.

Read the article here.


ANDY WONG/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Chinese security officers, wearing masks as a precaution against the swine flu, stand guard in front of a sealed-off hotel where foreign travellers were held under quarantine in Beijing this week. (May 5, 2009)

China Tries to Wriggle Out of the US Dollar Trap

On April 29, 2009, Dr. Wenran Jiang was invited to write a short essay on what China is doing recently on the global financial stage, published by the YaleGlobal Online magazine. You can read his article here.

Lawsuit claims Chinese workers' wages not paid

On April 25, 2009, Dr. Wenran Jiang was interviewed by the Edmonton Journal on a lawsuit brought by several Chinese workers against their employer for unpaid wages arising from their service in Canada. Wenran said the case will likely hinge on whatever agreements the Chinese workers signed with the host company before they came to Canada. Read the article here.

Op-ed in Ottawa Citizen: You can’t promote rights from way over here

BY WENRAN JIANG , THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
APRIL 20, 2009

Let’s give International Trade Minister Stockwell Day credit for making a successful mission to East Asia. The highlights included opening six new Canadian trade offices across China, and breaking the ground for the Canadian-funded reconstruction of a seniors’ home that was levelled in China’s devastating earthquake last year.

As Canada’s top-security-guard-turned-top-salesman, Mr. Day showed unprecedented enthusiasm for forging closer economic ties with China, now Canada’s second-largest trading partner. Yet he insisted that there are no fundamental shifts in the Conservative government’s China policy.

Mr. Day is partly right in the sense that the Conservatives never had a clearly articulated China policy to begin with. Former Canadian ambassador to the United States Derek Burney has characterized Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s China policy as “juvenile” — implying immaturity as the cause of the problem.

The reality of the Conservatives’ China policy in the past three years is more like being infected by an ideological tumor. It did not lead to brain death, largely due to former international trade and foreign minister David Emerson’s persistent efforts to engage China within the cabinet. He was right but almost a lone voice in the Harper top circle. As a result, the body of Canadian national interests has suffered.

The first casualty is in fact human rights. Unlike the commonly accepted perception that this government has emphasized human rights issues since coming to power, the record shows that Canada has done very little in promoting human rights in China since 2006.

Ottawa suspended the annual bilateral human rights dialogue, saying it was not effective, thus throwing the baby out with the bath water. The House Committee on human rights pursued a lengthy hearing that led nowhere, produced nothing tangible and became a disappointment even for human rights groups.

With the Conservatives removing China from their foreign policy priority list, Canada’s economic relations with the world’s fastest growing market have not kept pace with other industrialized countries, losing trade and investment shares. It is now evident more than ever that ignoring China has cost Canadians jobs that would have otherwise been created with an active, engaging strategy at the highest level.

And Harper’s suspension of mutual summit visits with China since 2006 has made Canada totally out of sync with other world powers — all of them have annual regular summit diplomacy with Beijing.

Thus, Harper stands alone and has no effective means of engaging the emerging superpower on important issues such as environment, global warming, and many regional issues vital to Canada’s economic and security wellbeing.

Now Stockwell Day has openly reversed Harper’s infamous quote on not selling out human rights for the mighty dollar by declaring that trade and rights are not mutually exclusive goals in dealing with China. This is a good step in the right direction.

But it’s too early to conclude that the Harperites have come to terms with China’s reality. The Conservatives must make strides in the following areas to make up lost ground in China.
In the short term, Mr. Harper must resume summit diplomacy by going to Beijing, a long overdue trip to reciprocate Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to Canada in the fall of 2005. He may send more ministers to China or open more trade offices. But they are all marginal measures in contrast to personally engaging the Chinese leadership at the highest level.

Ottawa’s medium-term goal is to formulate a non-partisan China vision and strategy that treats our relationship with Beijing as no less important than our ties with Washington. It is tunnel vision for those who advocate better Chinese language skills of Canadian diplomats in the Beijing embassy as a solution to advance Canadian interests in China.

Instead, Canada must work actively to re-establish the strategic partnership that the two countries announced in 2005. In addition to regular summit meetings, Canadian interests will be best served with a number of high-level annual bilateral dialogues on issues ranging from trade to investment to security to climate change to human rights.

And Canada’s long-term China policy goal is to design a series of programs that not only serve our own interests but also assist reform-oriented forces in the Chinese society and within the Chinese government to move China toward more openness, more transparency and more respect for human rights.

Canada warms up to Beijing

On April 20, 2009, Dr. Wenran Jiang was interviewed by the Vancouver Sun commenting on the Conservative government's recent attempt to push for a closer relation with China. “I immediately registered a very different tone from him,” Jiang said. “I see a pragmatist, his body language, the phrases he used to describe his trip.”

You can read the article here.

[Picture: Nicholas Sonntag, president of Westport Asia, says state-owned enterprises in China are highly influenced by politics. Vancouver Sun]

Canada seeks to strengthen trade ties with China

On April 15, Dr. Jiang was interviewed by International Herald Leader on Canadian International Trade Minister Stockwell's recent trip to China.

He noted that Canada is eager to grow business with its second largest trading partner in part because of the dwindling buying power of its largest trading partner, the U.S.. "In order to have commodity prices and other resources prices to go up, the key factor is not the United States, but China," Dr. Jiang said, "China is the manufacturing powerhouse of the world."

You can read the news report in Chinese, or in English.

The newly released 2009 provincial budget

On April 8, 2009, Dr. Jiang was interviewed by OMNI TV Edmonton on the newly released provincial budget, its implications for the provincial economy, the education sector and the energy sector.

The Latest Chinese Acquisition of Oil Sands in Alberta

April 2, 2009, Dr. Jiang was quoted by the Financial Post on the latest Chinese acquisition of oil sands in Alberta.

You can read the article here.

The First Summit between Obama and Hu during the G20

April 2, 2009, Dr. Jiang was quoted by Xinhua News Agency, in both Chinese and English, on the G20 global leaders meeting in London, and the significance of the first summit between U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao.

For the English article, please click here.

For the Chinese article, please click here.

The Impact of Global Oil Price Fluctuations on China

April 1, 2009, Dr. Jiang was interviewed by CCTV 9 Dialogue, a 30 minute discussion on the impact of global oil price fluctuations with a focus on China, the United States and China-US relations.

The Rising Impact of China in the Global Economy

March 31, 2009, Dr. Jiang was quoted by an article in the Globe and Mail, on the rising impact of China in the global economy and the U.S.-China G2 summit during the G20 summit in London.

You can read the article here.

Chinese Economic Situation and the New Stimulus Packages

March 14, 2009, Dr. Jiang was interviewed by CBC TV Newsworld live, on the current Chinese economic situation, the ongoing annual People's Congress and the possible new stimulus packages by the Chinese government to further boost the Chinese economy.

China's Latest Policies on Tibet

March 10, 2009, Dr. Jiang was interviewed by CBC TV Newsworld live, on the one year anniversary of the Tibetan riots, the 50 year anniversary of the exile of the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government's latest policies on Tibet.

The Current State of Canada-China Relations

March 5, 2009, Dr. Jiang was interviewed by CBC Radio International Chinese broadcasting, on the current state of Canada-China relations and the prospects of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's visit to China.

Road to Riches Ends for 20 Million Chinese Poor

February 20, 2009, Dr. Jiang was quoted by CNN on China's gloomy labor market for the 20 million migrant workers during the recent economic slowdown.

To read the article, please click here.

My Exclusive Interview with Duowei News Agency on U.S. President Obama's First Overseas Visit to Canada

February 18, 2009, Dr. Jiang was interviewed by Duowei News Agency on U.S. President Obama's first overseas visit to Canada. In the article, he noted that the visit is largely symbolic, along with some real business to be discussed.

To read the entire article in Chinese, please click here.

Duowei News Agency is owned by Chinese Media Net Inc. (CMN), an ethnic media group which operates in the U.S., Canada and Hong Kong.

Beijing's Responses to Falling Oil Prices

February 4, 2009, Dr. Jiang was invited to write an article for China Brief, an online journal published by the Jamestown Foundation, on the Chinese government's recent energy security policy responding to falling oil prices and world financial crisis.

Please read the article here.

Dr. Jiang is a regular contributor to the China Brief, for his previously published articles, please click here.

China’s Towering Tests

Edmonton Journal
January 31, 2009
By: Wenran Jiang

After a dramatic 2008, the Year of the Ox could bring soul-searching and unrest

As China enters the "Year of the Ox," there is much to reflect on from the past year and even more to speculate about the coming year.

2008 began with snowstorms that paralyzed most of central and southern China's transport system, interrupting lives and causing severe material damage. Then came the riots in Tibet, which caught the government off guard, followed by embarrassing protests over China's Olympic torch relay in several Western and Asian countries.

As Chinese were wondering why 2008, a year of supposed good fortune marked by the lucky number eight, had started with so much misfortune, an earthquake struck Sichuan province, killing 80,000 people and leaving millions homeless. Emerging more united from this tragedy, the country welcomed the world to the long-anticipated Olympics, which were remarkably successful, but were soon superseded by the tainted-dairy-product scandal in which many babies became ill, and some died.

In contrast to last year, when the rush home for the lunar New Year celebration was hampered by freak storms, this year millions of migrant workers have already returned to their rural homes. Many will be staying there, because the global economic downturn has hit China hard, costing them their jobs. According to the latest numbers, the growth rates of both China's industrial output and GDP have declined sharply in the fourth quarter of 2008, and more than 10 million migrant workers have lost their jobs.

A year of searing milestones Littered with a host of extremely sensitive anniversaries, 2009 could prove even more dramatic and unpredictable than 2008.

Fast approaching is not only the March anniversary of last year's disturbances in Tibet, but also the 50th anniversary of Tibetan unrest in 1959 that led to the exile of the Dalai Lama and his supporters.

Since the riots last spring, China's government has taken many proactive measures, even adopting a "Serf Liberation Day," to defend its record in Tibet of the past 50 years, while continuing to talk with the Dalai Lama's representatives. But it has also implemented heavy-handed police and military controls.

Then comes the 20th anniversary of the June 4 crackdown on the Tiananmen Square student demonstrations. Calls to re-evaluate the official response began when President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao came to power seven years ago. But recently, the pressure has intensified, especially with the publication of "Charter 08," a manifesto signed by hundreds of Chinese intellectuals, journalists, lawyers, and ordinary citizens, criticizing the government's rights record and demanding more democratic reform, press freedom, governmental transparency, and societal openness.

Although neither Hu nor Wen were directly involved in the crackdown, they nonetheless must tread carefully. Doing everything possible to avoid a repeat of the 1989 scenario may well be the Communist Party leadership's top priority in 2009. And, given the economic slowdown, widening income disparity, rising unemployment, and growing popular discontent over corruption, China's leaders will have their hands full.

Of course, the inspiration for almost every political reform movement in China is the May 4th Movement of 1919, when Chinese students protested against a weak and corrupt government and called for China to strengthen itself by adopting two key Western ideals: democracy and science. As the 90th anniversary approaches, China has made great strides in science, but still has a long way to go in terms of democracy.

Less known but no less sensitive is the 10th anniversary of the government's ban on Falun Gong, an organization of self-claimed religious and meditation practitioners that has challenged the Communist Party's legitimacy. Though largely discredited inside the country, this militant movement still has a following around the world, and further protests may come at any time and in unpredictable forms.

While some of the plethora of anniversaries that China's leaders must confront are potentially very destabilizing, several have, and will, work in their favour. For example, the 30th anniversary of China's reform movement and the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States has been a much-celebrated event this January.

Republic will be 60 years old More importantly, October will mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples' Republic of China, an occasion that the Party will commemorate in grand style. After all, the Middle Kingdom has re-emerged as the world's third-largest economy (having recently replaced Germany), sent astronauts into space, dispatched advanced naval destroyers to the Horn of Africa, and become the largest holder of U.S. foreign debt. China will want to flex its muscles and proclaim to the world that the Party has delivered the goods to its people, while making the country strong and prosperous.

As the worst recession since the 1930s continues, both the American and Chinese economies are bound to suffer further setbacks. There is no guarantee that protectionist and xenophobic sentiment in America will not hit China-U.S. relations, or that the economic downturn will not fuel new unrest in China.

Already, the new U.S. treasury secretary, Timothy Geithner, has accused China of "manipulating its currencies," a term that was not used by the former Bush administration and that may have serious consequences for U.S.-China trade relations. During his campaign, Barack Obama used the same language. And Chinese officials have hit back at the new U.S. administration's criticism.

There is also a gathering storm over who is to blame for the U.S. and worldwide financial crisis. Some have argued it was the Chinese continuous purchasing of U.S. treasury bounds and the influx of cheap Chinese goods over the years that are responsible for the subprime mortgage crisis and the U.S. recession, a position rejected by Beijing.

So far it is not that clear how the Obama administration is going to handle its China policy. But one thing is clear: without further Chinese commitment to buy a large amount of U.S.-issued debt, Obama will not be able to pay for his administration's massive stimulus package. Nor will China be overly accommodating to foreign demands when its own domestic situation is turning so volatile.

The world should not misjudge the effect of such disputes and troubles on China. Nor should it forget China's fierce display of nationalism in response to Western protests of the Olympic torch relay, the extraordinary patriotism that swept the country in response to the Sichuan earthquake, and the national pride evinced by the Olympic Games.

But in 2009, it would be a demonstration of courage if China's leadership also takes note of the need to continue assuring the world of its commitment to a "peaceful rise," and to do so by boldly addressing some of the unresolved issues this year's anniversaries will highlight.

the Chinese Economy and More

January 29, 2009, Dr. Jiang was interviewed by CBC Radio Edmonton, Hop Spot Columnist live, on the Chinese economy and the many uncertain anniversary events in China in the year of 2009.