On January 31, 2025, the governments of Belize, Plurinational State of Bolivia, Republic of Colombia, Republic of Cuba, Republic of Honduras, Malaysia, Republic of Namibia, Republic of Senegal and Republic of South Africa inaugurated the Hague Group on the basis of the Joint Statement below. As an anti-racist project whose vision is “in advancing global decolonization, justice and peace,” we call on the governments of Canada and China to join the Hague Group on the basis of the joint statement and to put in place regulations to implement the three action measures it includes.

Canada-China Focus Advisory Board,
Co-Chairs Xiaobei Chen (Carlton University) and John Price (University of Victora)

Hague Group Inaugural Joint Statement
The Hague Group, January 31, 2025

The Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver, chaired by Mr. Fred Kwok, hosted a landmark gathering on Sunday, February 1 to address “Facing Changes and Challenges: What Chinese Canadians Should Prepare For.”

Speakers addressed the racism directed at Chinese Canadian communities that has arisen in association with the demonization of China. Keynote speakers included Senator Yuen Pau Woo, Tung Chan - the former head of S.U.C.C.E.S.S., and Dr. Ally Wong, a community organizer.

UBC Professor Henry Yu, representing Canada-China Focus, provided concluding remarks and called for broader solidarity between Chinese Canadian communities and other communities facing racism.

Canada is in a particularly vulnerable position owing to its high dependence on trade with the U.S. and the close integration of the two economies. It is because of this vulnerability that Canada, going back to the original Canada-U.S. FTA in 1989, sought to increase predictability and transparency in trade relations with the U.S. by agreeing on a set of rules, with mechanisms to settle disputes. 

The mistake seems to have been to believe that the U.S. government would respect negotiated and signed commitments and not resort to unilateral threats to achieve objectives, both trade and non-trade related. 

While trade with Asia is important, it cannot at this stage or at any stage in the foreseeable future replace trade with the United States, owing to the pull of geography, the existence of established infrastructure and historical trading patterns. That is not to say that there is not a strong case to be made to try to increase diversification of Canada's trade relations with Asia and other partners, but this will be an uphill struggle.

The United States has postponed planned 25 percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports by a month, following 11th-hour calls between President Donald Trump and leaders from Canada and Mexico on Monday.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed to boost border security to prevent the trafficking of drugs and migrants into the US, averting a trade war for now.

But the 10 percent tariffs on Chinese goods took effect on Tuesday, attracting retaliatory measures from Beijing. Chinese goods have already been subjected to previous tariffs starting in Trump‘s first term between 2017 and 2021.

Moments after Donald Trump introduced tariffs of 10% on Chinese goods, Beijing retaliated with countermeasures.

China‘s finance ministry put tariffs of 10-15% on imports of a range of US goods and its anti-trust regulator announced an investigation into Google. Several US companies were also added to China‘s “unreliable entity” list, potentially restricting their ability to conduct business in the country.

China‘s response stands in stark contrast to the reaction from the other countries hit by Trump‘s trade war 2.0, Mexico and Canada. After last-ditch negotiations on Monday involving the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, and the Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, Trump agreed to pause plans to impose tariffs of 25% on both countries. In exchange for the reprieve, Trudeau promised to appoint a fentanyl czar and strengthen border security, while Sheinbaum offered to send 10,000 troops to the border with the US.

Published: February 4, 2025 
Written by: Jeff Mason, Trevor Hunnicutt & Kevin Krolicki

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he is in no hurry to speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping to try to defuse a new trade war between the world's two largest economies sparked by his sweeping 10% tariffs on all Chinese imports.

China imposed targeted tariffs on U.S. imports on Tuesday and put several companies, including Google, on notice for possible sanctions, in a measured response to Trump's tariffs.

"That's fine," Trump said at the White House when asked about China's retaliatory duties.
A conversation between Xi and Trump is seen as key to a potential easing or delay of tariffs, as conversations with Mexican and Canadian leaders did on Monday.

China has announced retaliatory tariffs against the US after President Donald Trump imposed a 10% tax on all Chinese imports.

The counter-measures include a 15% tax on coal and liquefied natural gas imports from the US, while crude oil, agricultural machinery, pickup trucks and large-engine cars will face a 10% tariff. These are expected to come into force next Monday.

China has complained to the World Trade Organization (WTO) - accusing the US of breaking international rules.

In early 2020, Lili Wu was already "armed to the teeth" whenever she ventured to public places near her home in Port Coquitlam, B.C. — face mask, sanitizer, protective eyewear and gloves.

It was more than a month before the World Health Organization's March declaration of a global pandemic that introduced most other Canadians to concepts like masking and social distancing.

But for Wu and many other members of Canada's Chinese-speaking communities, the outbreak that was exploding out of Wuhan, China, did not seem like a distant problem around the start of the Lunar New Year.

Published: February 2025
Written by: Dr. Ally Wang 

Thanks to Mr. Fred Kwok, Hon. Yuen Pau Woo, Mr. Tung Chan, and Mr. Jimmy Yan‘s speeches. As they analyze, we know the challenges we face. Today‘s topic is important for me, for the community that I care about, and for this country that I love.

This year marks my eighth year as a community volunteer. Over the years, as I‘ve encouraged Chinese Canadians to speak up, I‘ve often heard this question: “Chinese Canadians are Canadians. What special demands do we have to speak up about?”

Yes, we don‘t have any special demands. Our concerns are part of the broader concerns of all Canadians.

• When we call for an end to discrimination, we aim to create a more harmonious Canadian society.
• When we encourage voting and political participation, we strive to strengthen Canada‘s democratic institutions.
• When we advocate for careful deliberation on foreign interference and the refinement of Bill C-70, we do so to uphold the rule of law and protect the principles of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Moderator: Dr. Linda Thyer (Doctors for Planetary Health - West Coast)

Featuring: Dr. Bimal Khadka (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War)  and Anjali Appadurai (Climate Emergency Unit)

Register here:  https://bit.ly/4H4X8SI

Fires scorching California, floods inundating Spain, heat killing and knocking monkeys from trees in Mexico, droughts scouring southern Africa, hurricanes ripping through the U.S. — it‘s impossible to ignore. Scientists confirm 2024 was the hottest year on record for land and ocean — exceeding expectations. Average global temperature breached the 1.5 C threshold for the first time last year. Every year for the past 10 years has been the hottest!

When will people take it seriously?

We‘re activating feedback loops and breaching tipping points, with extreme weather–related events increasing and ecosystems collapsing, yet we carry on as if everything‘s fine. Sure, a lot of progress has been and is being made in cleaner, renewable energy and other solutions, but we‘re not moving quickly enough — thanks mainly to the fossil fuel industry and its political and media lackeys.

The 2025 Canada-China Scholars‘ Exchange Program (CCSEP) is now accepting applications! Canadian students, faculty, researchers, and mid-career professionals are eligible to apply. This prestigious scholarship offers a unique opportunity to pursue post-secondary studies, research, and Chinese language training at leading institutions across China.

Since its establishment in 1973, the CCSEP has been a flagship initiative of Global Affairs Canada and the Ministry of Education of the People‘s Republic of China. Over the years, it has helped foster deeper mutual understanding, built strong academic and professional ties between the two countries, and developed a generation of Canadian leaders with China-related expertise.

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