Via CBC News: The coronavirus crisis is driving a sudden thaw in Canada-China relations. Excerpt:
Canada's response to the deadly novel coronavirus outbreak is winning unusual praise in China — a development that federal government sources here say is part of a broader re-engagement strategy aimed at repairing strained relations between the two countries.
News reports in Chinese state-run media, official government statements and messages posted by Chinese citizens online all suggest a warming trend in the Canada-China relationship — a relationship that's been very tense since the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver in 2018.
On Friday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi applauded Canada for responding to China's request for medical equipment, such as face masks and protective gear.
"On behalf of the people of China, we extend our appreciations. Thank you," Wang told his Canadian counterpart François-Philippe Champagne at the Munich Security Conference. "This is a special relationship."
His remarks mark a notable shift in tone since January by the ruling Communist Party, and it's all the more remarkable given the overt animosity in the bilateral relationship over the past 14 months.
Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were detained by Chinese officials just days after Meng's arrest; their detention is widely viewed as an act of retaliation for the arrest of the telecommunications executive on an extradition request from the United States. Another Canadian, Robert Schellenberg, was given a death sentence in January 2019 after having been previously sentenced to prison for drug smuggling. China also has blocked imports of Canadian agricultural products.
Government sources in this country tell CBC News that the so-called public health diplomacy by Canada has resulted in a new climate of diplomatic détente — and that relations with China are better now than they have been since at least 2018.
The coronavirus outbreak seems to be driving the sudden thaw. Canada needed Chinese approval to send a plane to the Chinese city of Wuhan to collect Canadians there who asked for help to leave. China, meanwhile, needed the international community's help to grapple with the outbreak.
Global Affairs Canada said it had shipped about 16 tonnes of personal protective equipment to China this month, including clothing, face shields, masks, goggles and gloves. Ottawa also agreed to provide $2 million to the World Health Organization (WHO) to help vulnerable countries prepare for a potential coronavirus outbreak beyond China.
Renowned Canadian epidemiologist Bruce Aylward recently made his way to China to lead a team of WHO experts to study the origin of the virus and the severity of the disease.
"This is Canada. And when in (times of) need, we want to be there and be able to provide assistance to the extent we can," Champagne said this week.
That assistance, sources said, presented new opportunities for Ottawa to start repairing its relationship with China.
"We are engaging with each other. I think every time you have a chance to have a dialogue it's something positive," said Champagne, who added he raises the plight of the Canadian detainees in every discussion with Chinese officials.
