Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
National

'Damaged' India-Canada relations getting traction in Chinese media

Darpan News Desk IANS, 22 Sep, 2023 06:41 PM
  • 'Damaged' India-Canada relations getting traction in Chinese media

New Delhi Sept 22 (IANS) Canada-India diplomatic tensions made world headlines this week, and the Chinese state media also reported the news. There were some blogs on the topic on Chinese social media too.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had told his country’s lawmakers on Monday that Canada is probing “credible allegations” of Indian government's involvement in the killing of pro-Khalistani leader and Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18.

The Indian government has strongly denied the allegations, calling them "absurd".

Nijjar was designated as a terrorist by the Indian government in 2020.

The damaged relationship between the two countries appeared to have received more attention from Chinese state media when compared to their coverage of this year’s G20 Summit in Delhi, another India-related news event.

During the G20 Summit, they reported on Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s speech and to an extent his bilateral meetings with British, Italian and EU leaders. Li’s meeting with US President Joe Biden on the sidelines was briefly reported after the summit.

Trudeau’s accusations led to a diplomatic firestorm, and the Chinese media, like others, reported on major developments such as the tit-for-tat expulsions from the respective high commissions in Ottawa and New Delhi, and visa cancellation for Canadians by India.

A Chinese state-affiliated paper that usually produces opinion pieces on crises elsewhere, said that Western ties with India are largely driven by geopolitical interests against China, adding that Canada has played an important role for the United States in promoting the latter’s Indo-Pacific strategy.

“However, the alliance currently being formed by the US, including India, is facing increasing embarrassment.”

An Indian analyst said Chinese media interest in the news shows how Beijing is looking at the crack that has appeared in India’s relationship with Canada. 

“It is about projecting the state’s view or perception through the media,” Alka Acharya, professor, Centre for East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, said.

“From the Chinese perspective, this issue is about India’s relationship with a Western country, a developed country. This episode suggests that India, or the other developing countries that are being pursued by the West, will get the short end of the stick even if they cozy up – that’s what they are saying,” Acharya said.

The same Chinese paper recently said a “global south” without China is a “pseudo-proposition”.  

The Chinese message via media on the Canada-India issue is intended both for the domestic and international audience, Acharya said. 

It is a tactical necessity for the US to have India as an ally to act as a counterweight to China in Asia, but as the West pursues its objectives, an uneven hand shows, she added.

The Chinese government was yet to officially comment on the Canada-India spat at the time of filing this report. 

Canada-China relations have not been smooth in recent years: A major strain was Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou’s house arrest in Canada for nearly three years following US allegations of violating sanctions against Iran in the Chinese tech company’s business dealings, and China’s detention of two Canadian nationals, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, on spying charges.

The three people returned to their respective home countries in 2021.

The Canada-India situation seems to have complicated matters for the US, its Western allies and India. 

A member of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network, which includes the US and Canada, had shared intelligence with Canada on Nijjar’s killing, according to The Associated Press.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Arindam Bagchi told the media at Thursday’s weekly briefing that no specific information on the case was shared with India.

A Chinese analyst said, from a third-party perspective, the Canada-India diplomatic spat was unexpected and will likely have a long-term impact on bilateral relations.

“Canada would have to back the serious allegations with hard evidence,” Qian Feng of the Taihe Institute, a think-tank in Beijing, said. 

"At the same time, because Trudeau went public with the accusations, and formally, there’s no room left for the two sides to talk.”

Qian, who is a regular commentator on India-related topics in Chinese state media, said that if Canada’s allegations are true, the Western countries could tell India they “have leverage”.

“The US needs the alliance with India,” he added, “to try and make good use of India’s influence geopolitically to contain China’s rise.”  

MORE National ARTICLES

Moon mission with Canada's Jeremy Hansen remains on schedule for November 2024: NASA

Moon mission with Canada's Jeremy Hansen remains on schedule for November 2024: NASA
Officials at NASA say the mission that will send a Canadian astronaut into lunar space for the first time is still on track to launch in November of next year.  Mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, from London, Ont.,  was on hand in Florida today for a public update on Artemis II, the first trip to lunar space in 52 years.

Moon mission with Canada's Jeremy Hansen remains on schedule for November 2024: NASA

Pilot program seeks to reward companies that better protect temporary foreign workers

Pilot program seeks to reward companies that better protect temporary foreign workers
Under the "recognized employer pilot" program, companies with a good track record would only need to prove that they require temporary foreign workers every three years, instead of every 18 months. n The employer's trusted status would also be flagged to potential workers in the government's job bank.

Pilot program seeks to reward companies that better protect temporary foreign workers

News publishers, broadcasters call for investigation into Meta's news blocking

News publishers, broadcasters call for investigation into Meta's news blocking
Social media giant Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has said it will begin blocking news on its platforms in Canada starting Tuesday after the Canadian government passed a bill forcing Google and Meta to pay publishers for content they link to or repurpose.  

News publishers, broadcasters call for investigation into Meta's news blocking

Rain, cooler weather could bring relief to B.C. wildfire crews as new fires start

Rain, cooler weather could bring relief to B.C. wildfire crews as new fires start
The wildfire service says more than 200 of those blazes remain out of control, including a small fire northwest of Princeton that was sparked by a malfunctioning ATV but grew quickly, forcing a speedy but safe evacuation of about 1,000 people at a nearby music festival on Sunday night.

Rain, cooler weather could bring relief to B.C. wildfire crews as new fires start

Business groups ask government for labour changes after end of B.C. port dispute

Business groups ask government for labour changes after end of B.C. port dispute
Business groups continued to call on the federal government to take action in the wake of the recently resolved British Columbia port workers dispute on Saturday, arguing Ottawa must ensure such a disruption never happens again. But the federal government is walking a difficult tightrope between the demands of the business community and protecting workers' constitutional rights.

Business groups ask government for labour changes after end of B.C. port dispute

Mounties in Coquitlam seek witnesses to attempted murder in city park

Mounties in Coquitlam seek witnesses to attempted murder in city park
Coquitlam RCMP say they're investigating an altercation between "at least two adult males" in Brookmere Park that occurred around 9:15 in the morning. Investigators say they're looking for more witnesses and any video footage of the altercation, but the nature of what exactly happened remains unknown. 

Mounties in Coquitlam seek witnesses to attempted murder in city park