Canada in the Chinese News: April 2023

Canada in the Chinese News is a new series from the CIUA. It will consist of a monthly report of major news stories about Canada in the Chinese media. In so doing, it will highlight major news stories from Canada picked up by news media in China, and how the Chinese media portrays Canada in its analysis.

The aim of this series is to inform Canadians on what Chinese journalists, academics, and policy elites are thinking about Canada, and how Chinese public perceptions of Canada are being formed and shaped. Due to the heavy state-influence on media in China, this analysis also provide insight into the official viewpoint of the Chinese government.

We hope this series will allow Canadians to gain a fuller and more informed perspective on the state of Canada-China relations.

Methods:

We rely on web data, focusing on articles from leading Chinese news sources including but not limited to: People’s Daily (人民日报), China Daily (中国日报), Global Times (环球), Economic Times (经济日报), Guangzhou Daily (广州日报), Caixin (财新传媒), and Xinhua News Agency (新华社).

We utilize the search term “Canada” (加拿大), and discard duplicate articles and articles that do not focus on Canada specifically.

We have provided a direct translation of the article title followed by a summary of content.

This report includes articles published between April 1-30, 2023.

News Stories

1. China Daily, April 4, 2023: “Qingfei Paidu” Approved as an Over-the-Counter Drug in Canada, Becoming the First Traditional Chinese Cold and Flu Medicine to Enter a Developed Country (清肺排毒颗粒在加拿大获批非处方药上市成为我国首个进入发达国家的抗疫中药)

This story was covered in multiple media outlets. It reports that a traditional Chinese medicine, Qingfei Paidu, was approved by Canadian health authorities as an over-the-counter medication. According to the China Daily, this moves “represents a major step in Chinese medicine going global.” 

2. People’s Daily, April 6, 2023: Collect this Safety Manual for Studying Abroad in Canada (去加拿大留学收好这份安全手册)

The People’s Daily reported that the Chinese Ministry of Education’s Overseas Study Service Centre published a safety manual for students studying in Canada. It briefs potential students in Canada about Canadian laws, rental housing, and safety, among other aspects. It concludes that Canada’s overall security situation is good, but warns of increased incidents of hate crimes. 

3. People’s Daily, April 6, 2023: China’s Human Rights Achievements Obvious to All (中国人权事业发展成就有目共睹)

In early April, the People’s Daily published an article discussing China’s human rights achievements, focusing on poverty alleviation, the role of NGOs, and the uniting of ethnic groups. The article also discussed Canadian residential schools while refuting accusations of human rights abuses in Chinese boarding schools for Tibetan minorities. The article states that boarding schools are a common way to run a school system, and “just because atrocities happened at colonial boarding schools in Canada, Australia, and the US, we can’t think that the boarding school system is an ‘original sin’.” 

4. Global Times, April 11, 2023: Ford to Invest $1.8 Billion CAD in Canadian Electric Vehicle Centre (福特将在加拿大投资18亿加元建立电动汽车中心)

The article states that Ford Motors is upgrading a southern Ontario assembly plant to become a centre of EV production for the North American market. It points out that this comes at a critical time for Ford, as it competes with Tesla, BMW, Volkswagen, and GM in the EV space. 

5. China Daily, April 12, 2023: The Dream of Life in the Canadian Countryside Can be Seen Everywhere in the High Slopes of Guiyang (梦想在加拿大农村拥有的生活于贵阳高坡随处可见)

The China Daily featured an op-ed from a Canadian woman, Jill Marie Barron, who compares rural townships of Guiyang (the capital city of China’s Guizhou province) to her hometown Mactaquac New Brunswick. She states that whereas Mactaquac has few stores and no public transportation, Guiyang has multiple thriving industries along with the natural scenery that she enjoyed in New Brunswick. She attributes this to China’s rural revitalization policy, which has given the people of Guiyang’s rural townships “the life I wish I could have in rural Canada”  

6. Global Times, April 13, 2023: Canadian Parliamentarians Insist on Visiting Chinese Taiwan: Chinese Embassy Publishes a Statement (加拿大联邦众议员执意窜访中国台湾地区，中国使馆发表谈话)

In this relatively brief statement published by the Global Times, the Chinese Embassy in Canada “strongly condemns” Canadian parliamentarians meeting with Taiwanese “separatist forces.” The statement argues that the one China principle is a key international norm, and that the parliamentary group was “making an enemy of more than 1.4 billion Chinese,” which was doomed to failure. It further warns Canadian officials to pay attention to domestic issues and cease “colluding” with Taiwan, or risk incurring a “heavy price.”  

7. China News Hunan (中国新闻湖南), April 19, 2023: Russian Media: Russian Foreign Ministry Summons Ambassadors of United States, United Kingdom, Canada (俄媒：俄外交部召见美国、英国、加拿大大使)

This article cites official Russian media, which states that the Canadian, American, and UK ambassadors were summoned due to interference in internal Russian affairs and “undiplomatic activities.” 

8. Sina News (财经头条), April 20, 2023: Canada’s New Home Construction Rate Reaches Post-Covid Lows, Illustrating Housing Shortages (加拿大房屋开工率达新冠爆发后最低值，凸显住房供应不足问题)

The article states that new home construction is at the lowest rate since before the COVID-19 pandemic, which will exacerbate Canada’s current housing affordability and supply issues. 

9. Economic Times (经济日报), April 20, 2023: In the First Quarter, Real Foreign Investment Reaches Almost 410 Billion RMB (一季度实际使用外资近4100亿元)

This article cites Ministry of Commerce data where foreign capital in China increased by almost 5% year-on-year in the first three months, led by high-tech investment. According to the article, Canadian investment in China increased substantially, rising by 179.7% year-on-year. 

10. China Daily (中国日报), April 20, 2023: Over 100,000 Canadian Government Workers Go on Strike, Impacting Government Services (加拿大10余万联邦雇员罢工 政府服务受到影响)

This article states that over 100,000 workers went on strike after failing to reach a pay deal, making it one of the largest strikes in Canadian history. The article notes that many government services have been negatively impacted, however, negotiations are ongoing.

11. Global Times April 20, 2023: 40 Unmarked Graves Found Near One of Canada’s Former Indigenous Residential Schools (加拿大一前原住民寄宿学校附近发现40个无标记坟墓)

The Global Times wrote an article about the discovery of 40 unmarked graves near a former residential school. It also gives a brief overview of the history of residential schools, discussing previous discoveries of unmarked graves. 

12. Global Times April 20, 2023: Media: A Canadian Airport Discovers “Rare Gold Heist,” Local Police Launch Investigation (外媒：加拿大一机场发生“罕见黄金盗窃案”，当地警方已展开调查)

The recent Toronto gold theft was covered extensively in Chinese media, which quoted Toronto media reports about the potential involvement of organized crime as well as police press conference information regarding the heist.  

13. Sina News (财经头条), April 21, 2023: Volkswagen’s First Overseas Electric Battery Factory to be Established in Canada, Receiving Almost $10 Billion USD in Government Subsidies (大众首个海外电池工厂将布局加拿大，获加政府将近100亿美元补贴承诺)

According to this Sina News article, the Canadian federal government has pledged to provide up to CAD $13 billion in subsidies for Volkswagen to open a battery factory near St Thomas Ontario, which is likely to become Canada’s largest electric vehicle battery manufacturing site. The article points out that these subsidies were driven in large part by the US Inflation Reduction Act, which has forced America’s trading partners to try to keep up with America’s subsidies and other incentives. It further notes that Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre criticized the extent of the subsidies. 

14. Global Times: April 21, 2023: Canada’s TC Energy Company: Leak in Important US-Canada Pipeline Caused by Aging Cracks (加拿大TC能源公司：美加重要输油管道泄漏事故由老化裂缝引起)

This article cites a statement from TC Energy saying that last year’s Keystone Pipeline leak was caused by cracks in the aging pipeline infrastructure.

15. Global Times, April 24, 2023: Foreign Media Exclusive Breaking News: Tesla to Send Vehicles Produced in Shanghai China to North America for the First Time (外媒独家爆料：特斯拉将首次把在中国上海生产的汽车送往北美销售)

According to the Global Times, Tesla has begun production of its Model Y vehicle in Shanghai, which will be sold in Canada. This marks the first time that the company will sell China-produced vehicles in the North American market. 

Key Points

1. Overall, Canada received limited coverage in Chinese media in the month of April. The coverage Canada did receive was broadly neutral, however, in notable areas of tension - including the War in Ukraine, Taiwan, and discussion of human rights – Canada received negative coverage.
2. Perhaps the most notable feature of Canada’s coverage in Chinese news in April was what was not included, namely: discussion of alleged Chinese interference in Canada’s elections. This has been the leading topic in Canadian media’s coverage of China; however, it was not mentioned in Chinese media.
3. Finally, it is worth noting that the atrocities Canada committed through its residential schools program received significant coverage in Chinese media. This is not uncommon in Chinese media and government discourse, which frequently highlights human rights issues in western countries to rebut criticisms of China’s own human rights record.