Chinese foreign minister's 'tantrum' sign of troubled relations, ex-ambassador says

The Conservatives' foreign affairs critic is calling the Chinese foreign minister's admonishment of a Canadian reporter on Wednesday "unacceptable," while a former ambassador to Beijing sees the visiting minister's "tantrum" as fallout from years of troubled relations with the communist country.

"China mustlearn from other countries that there are acceptable norms of behaviour when dealing with othernations," Conservative foreign affairs critic Tony Clement said in an interview with CBC News Thursday.

"Ithought it was totally outrageous that he would come to Canadian soil and act in such a disrespectful way to a Canadian journalist asking a legitimate question.

"If we go to Beijing, as ministers or MPs, we were always told there are certain historical and cultural aspects of the Chinese that we have to be deferential toand respectful ofand then he comes here and disrespects our values," he said. "So that was unacceptable."

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said it was "irresponsible" of a journalist from the web outlet iPolitics.ca to ask about human rights and the jailing of Kevin Garratt, a Canadian charged with espionage.

China's Foreign Minister criticizes Canadian reporter for her question

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Wang Yi was speaking through his translator after a meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion in Ottawa

Wang appeared visibly angry as he delivered the scolding in the lobby of Global Affairsheadquarters at a joint news conference with Foreign Affairs Minister Stphane Dion. While the question was originally posed to Dion, Wang jumped in after Dion told the reporter he had raised human rights in China with the minister during their bilateral meeting.

"Your question is full of prejudiceagainst China and arrogance I don't know where that comes from. This is totally unacceptable," Wang said through a translator.

Liberals 'deferential' to communists: Clement

Diondid not respond directly to Wang'soutburst.

Clement said he wasgoing to give Dion"a little bit of leeway" for not interjecting,adding the whole affair was quite shocking.

"[Dion]didn't react in the moment, butthere has to be some affirmation from the government of Canada thatwe value journalistic freedom and human rights. That's what thegovernment hasto relay to the Chinese."

He also said there is a troublingtradition in the Liberal Party of being "deferential" to communist leadership in Chinain the pursuit of bolstered trade relations.

Pierre Elliott Trudeau, the current prime minister's father, Clement noted,"had a passion for Mao Zedong, a man who was the originator of the deaths of millions of his co-citizens."

Former prime ministersJean Chrtien and Paul Martinhad rosy relations with the Chineseregime, Clement noted, and they often "floated Canadian values down the river" in the pursuit of a better commercial relationship.

(Justin Trudeau was also roundly criticized by Conservatives a couple of years ago when he made an eyebrow-raising remark about his admiration for China's "basic dictatorship.")

A spokesperson for Dion said the minister had nothing more to say about the incident and that his comments during the news conference speak for themselves.

'Tantrum' spells trouble

David Mulroney, theCanadian ambassador to China under former prime minister Stephen Harper, said Wang's"tantrum" spells trouble for the new Liberal government.

"We're paying the price of aninconsistent approach during the Harper years," he said, noting the Conservative government publicly condemned the communist regime in Beijing only to cozy up to it on issues of trade before growing disillusioned.

Canada went largely"silent" on the diplomatic front in the latter years, the former ambassador said, as there was a disagreement around the cabinet table as to how best to deal with the Chinese.

Harper famously said he wouldn't sell Canada out to the "almighty dollar," while hisgovernmentbarred Chinese state-owned companies from further investment in the oilsands, raisedconcerns about Chinese cyberespionageand then backed away from trade negotiations, although Canada did reach an investor-protection agreement with Beijing.

"We're trying to re-engage with China and it's now an even more powerful andassertiveChina, and of course it's going to be more difficult now," Mulroney said of the Liberal government's outreach.

China has taken an increasingly aggressive stance on issues of foreign policy, particularly after the ascendancy ofXi Jinpingto president in 2012. Hehasprioritizedbuilding up the country's military, andrebranding the country as a "major power" on the international scene.

Xi has also launched an artificial-island building program in the South China Seadespite territorial claims from other countries in the region to expand its geographical footprint.

Chinese foreign minister not a 'softie'

Wang'saggressiveremarks can also be interpreted as an attempt by him to curry favour at home with this more nationalistic regime, Mulroney said.

"They can be as rude and as tough as they need to be. You can't make it to thesenior levels withoutputting the visor down and doing what's necessary. Even the most gracious people they drop the weights and they can really be tough," he said, adding there is a perception that members of China's foreign service are often seen as the weakest members of the Chinese state apparatus.

"He would not want to be seen as a softie back in Beijing," added Mulroney, who is now a senior fellow at the Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada and at the Munk School of Global Affairs.