What is the People’s Republic of China to Canada? Towards a rethinking of bilateral relations
| Author | Yuen Pau Woo |
| Published date | 01 March 2021 |
| Date | 01 March 2021 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0020702021996315 |
| Subject Matter | Policy Brief |
Policy Brief
What is the People’s
Republic of China to
Canada? Towards a
rethinking of
bilateral relations
Yuen Pau Woo
Simon Fraser University, Canada
Abstract
Relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) will be the single biggest Canadian
foreign policy challenge for the foreseeable future. The trajectory of bilateral relations
will be shaped, above all, by US–PRC strategic competition. Canadian views on the PRC
are defined by a litany of problems in the current relationship, with relatively little reflec-
tion on the broader and longer-term probl
ematique. This article, adapted from a
November 2020 speech to the Canada–China Friendship Society of Ottawa, proposes
a reconceptualization of the PRC as Canada’s “global neighbour.” On virtually all the
issues that matter to Canada, the PRC is in our neighbourhood, and we are in the PRC’s,
whether we like it or not. The article offers five principles for the conduct of relations
with Beijing—emphasizing the importance of independence in Canadian foreign policy in
the context of a Sino–US great power conflict that is likely to persist for decades.
Keywords
Foreign policy, geopolitics, US–People’s Republic of China (PRC) relations, Canada–
PRC relations, China in the world
Corresponding author:
Yuen Pau Woo, Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University, 500 Granville Street, Room 4935,
Vancouver, British Columbia, V6C 1W6, Canada.
Email: yuenpauwoo@gmail.com
International Journal
2021, Vol. 76(1) 145–153
!The Author(s) 2021
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DOI: 10.1177/0020702021996315
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