Canada and the World, Ep. 20: The Huawei dilemma

As China retaliates for the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver with the detention of at least two Canadians, this podcast tackles the bigger questions around Canada-Chinese relations and the relationship between trade and security interests. Should we allow Huawei into the 5G technology space in Canada? Would Huawei be used by the Chinese state for espionage purposes? Could oversight prevent such a risk? Why is 5G technology so important? Beyond the specifics, broader questions remain: What is the right balance between free trade and security interests, and what can we expect for the future of Chinese-Canadian relations? 

Our host

Bessma Momani is professor at the Balsillie School of International Affairs and University of Waterloo and a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. She’s also a non-resident senior fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C. and a Fulbright Scholar. She has been non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. and a 2015 Fellow at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. She’s a frequent analyst and expert on international affairs in Canadian and global media. 

This week’s guests

Stephanie Carvin is an assistant professor of international affairs at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs and a former national security analyst with the government of Canada. Her research interests include international law, security, terrorism and technology.

Richard Fadden has had an extensive and successful career in Canadian public service. He served as national security adviser to the prime minister of Canada from January 2015 to March 2016. Previously, he was deputy minister of National Defence (2013-2015) and served as director of the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (2009-2013), among numerous other posts. Richard is currently a member of the board of directors of the Conference of Defence Associations Institute.

Samantha Bradshaw is a D.Phil. candidate at the Oxford Internet Institute. She is also a researcher on the Computational Propaganda Project at Oxford University, and a senior fellow at the Canadian International Council. Samantha’s work examines government use of social media for coordinated digital disinformation campaigns. 

Canada and The World is produced and edited by Matthew Markudis. Each episode can be found on iTunes and other podcast applications.