CIC Book Launch – Issues in Canada-China Relations

The Canadian International Council presents a book launch in celebration of

Issues in Canada-China Relations

Edited by Pitman B. Potter with Thomas Adams

Friday, November 4, 2011
7:30am-9:00am
Rideau Club
99 Bank Street
Ottawa, ON

With remarks by Pitman B. Potter
Breakfast will be served

The launch of Issues in Canada-China Relations is generously sponsored by Borden Ladner Gervais.

About Issues in Canada-China Relations

Bilateral relations with the People’s Republic of China involve matters of great strategic interest to Canada. Recent changes in the frequency of high level visits; the effect, style and content of bilateral communications; and perspectives held by various sectors in each country about the other all suggest that the Canada-China relationship has changed significantly in recent years. China remains vitally important to Canada for a variety of reasons and in a variety of sectors. Political and diplomatic cooperation on issues of direct bilateral concern and also on issues of global import remains critically important. Commercial and trade ties linking Canada with the world’s second largest and fastest growing economy are of obvious significance. Cultural and civil society ties, including immigration patterns and the ancillary effects they generate, are also important. While the diversity of links between Canada and China militates in favour of giving due attention to a multiplicity of sub-national business, academic, and civil society links, bilateral cooperation at the federal/central government level remains essential. Thus, the present conditions and future implications of relations with China should continue to command attention from Canadians.

Registration

All are welcome to attend.

or by emailing ottawa@opencanada.org.

Praise for Issues in Canada-China Relations

“International norms regarding human rights and labour rights take on local colouration whether they are adopted and practiced. But norms across cultures must share underlying meaning if effective compliance to legal and normative obligations is to be achieved. The China Papers is one of the first attempts to define and measure this compliance, all the while acknowledging an inevitable degree of selective adaption across countries. Its conclusions will be of benefit to academic readers as well as government officials and diplomats whose responsibilities include balancing compliance expectations with a practical appreciation of how different rights and norms can be perceived, among equally well-meaning officials and institutions.”

—Joseph Caron, former Canadian Ambassador to China, Japan, High Commissioner to India, and Assistant Deputy Minister (DFAIT)

“As a student of Canada-China relations over the past thirty years, I commend this collection of papers as a significant breakthrough in Canadian thinking about China. It is not another traditional recitation of past trade and diplomatic milestones, but a series of timely papers, including several on unfamiliar topics pertinent for the future. The subjects should engage policy-makers if, at long last, we can interject more grit and substance into the Canada-China relationship. By introducing a wide spectrum of issues—like competing interests in the arctic, global health crises, biotechnology mediation, space engagement, cyberspace control, as well as the quest for energy security—the collection will inform and challenge our thinking and provide an intellectual platform on which to build a broader bilateral relationship in the years ahead.”

—Earl Drake, former Canadian Ambassador to China, Indonesia, Assistant Deputy Minister (DFAIT), and Vice-President of CIDA