[ Video Courtesy of NTDTV ]
Beginning today, expect to see throngs of flag-waving Chinese on Parliament Hill and lining the streets of Ottawa where Chinese leader Hu Jintao will visit the next three days. According to an official at the Chinese embassy in Ottawa, staff there have been working late into the night and spending lots of money to ensure Mr. Hu is met with a crowd of passionate supporters, not those protesting human rights abuses.
The Epoch Times has obtained a recording of a speech given Friday by Mr. Liu Shaohua, the first secretary of the education section at the Chinese embassy in Ottawa, to a crowd of between 40 and 50 students receiving Chinese state-scholarships to study there. Those students, Liu says, must attend the welcome events for Hu.
In the recording, Mr. Liu says the embassy is covering hotels, food, travel, and clothing for what he estimates will be 3,000 people who will welcome Mr. Hu Wednesday through Friday, coming from as far away as Waterloo, Ont.
The expenses easily total in the hundreds of thousands, based on Liu’s comments. But Mr. Liu describes it as “little money,” in light of the “political struggle” the Chinese regime is waging, the goal being to overshadow human-rights advocates who plan to protest during Hu’s visit.
“Originally, we did not expect the situation to be so complex,” Liu said. “Falun Gong, Tibetan separatists, Uyghur separatists, democracy people have already moved onto Parliament Hill [...] This is a battle that relates to defending the reputation of our motherland. The embassy and authorities inside China have a very high requirement.”
“These last few days, everyday, we have been busy until 11 p.m. or midnight,” Liu explained.
Listen to an excerpt from the speech given by Liu Shaohua, in Chinese, to students at the Chinese embassy in Ottawa on Friday here: [mp3remote]http://epoch-utils.com/web/podcast/download.php?filename=Liu_Shaohua_Recording_Excerpt.mp3[/mp3remote]
All Expenses Paid
Liu began his more-than-15-minute address with a name-by-name roll call, to which each student replied, “Yes.”
“This time, for you, all the expenses will all be paid by us,” Liu said. “You do not talk about it outside. Do not talk about it to anyone, except to people in this circle.”
Liu said students who were not on state-sponsored scholarships also had their expenses for the trip covered.
“For our country this is such little money. In my view this is a struggle, a political struggle.”
The “political struggle” Liu refers to appears to be the presence of groups protesting human rights abuses in China. Liu makes reference to Tibetan, Uyghur, and democracy activists, but focuses mainly on Falun Gong, a spiritual group persecuted by the communist regime in China.
“We will take the east part of Parliament Hill,” Liu said. “Falun Gong will take the west of the square. We should have 3,000 people. In terms of quantity, we should be able to surpass them.”
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[xtypo_dropcap]L[/xtypo_dropcap]iu says when Hu visited in 2005 and was met with protesters, officials in China were furious. He complained that during that visit, Canadian authorities did not co-operate with Chinese demands regarding the protesters, but this time he says there were some limited guarantees.
“Some parts cannot be guaranteed because this country is particular about so-called freedom. It does not care. It says, ‘we are a free country.’ So we are still negotiating. Falun Gong has already occupied three locations.”
According to several sources, including Chinese students themselves as well as online notices on bulletin boards, all Chinese students will be provided with transportation, meals, and free T-shirts. Some have said there have been promises of $50 per day compensation as well.
Mr. Liu criticized those who talked about cash rewards.
“Some people said something on the Internet like, ‘go to the Chinese embassy to get money’ . . . That’s not good at all. Some people are inexperienced and didn’t realize this.”
Permission Required to Leave
But while many students can choose whether or not to attend, the students Liu addressed were on state-funded scholarships and Liu said “there is no excuse” should they fail to join.
“If you want to take leave [from the welcome rally] for four hours or less, you can ask teacher Yuan. But for longer time, such as for one day, you must ask for leave from me.”
The goal of the rally appears to be ensuring protesters stay out of view for the visiting Chinese leader, and that state-run media are able to portray a warm welcome for Hu in coverage back home.
The large Pro-Beijing presence also sends a message to Canadian leaders interested in courting the ethnic vote that Chinese leaders are admired in Canada’s Chinese community.
Liu explained how students should answer if asked what they are doing.
“Just say, ‘We are here to welcome President Hu. Long live the Canada-China friendship.’”
Liu’s speech appears to affirm comments by Chinese student leaders contacted this week. The Epoch Times reached Chinese student association contacts at the Université du Québec in Hull and Carleton University in Ottawa, each of whom confirmed the activities were being paid for and organized by the Chinese Embassy.
“The embassy is responsible for the overall plan,” offered Guo Daxu, the rep listed for students at Université du Québec, when he was contacted by someone posing as a Chinese student. “Not only for the Ottawa area, but also Montreal and Toronto area’s students will all come. For those [from Toronto] all of their meals and hotels will be paid for.”
E-mail Matches Liu’s Speech
The same day that Liu was speaking with students at the Ottawa embassy, his counterpart at the Chinese Consulate in Toronto shared a similar message with students via e-mail. The e-mail was also obtained by The Epoch Times.
The message came from an address that appears on the Toronto Chinese Consulate’s website as the contact for the education department. The e-mail signature is that of Zhang Baojun, the Chinese consul for education.
Zhang told students on Chinese scholarships they must participate and that everyone should “comply with the plan and act in unity,” at the events, and that participants should not bring their children.
He said if any students on Chinese scholarships have “exceptional difficulties that prevent them from participating, they should ask for leave and provide an explanation.”
The prospect of an expenses-paid trip to Ottawa has proved attractive to some. A Chinese immigrant in Montreal surnamed Wang told The Epoch Times his son had been invited to join and decided to bring his family.
“Our son has enrolled,” he explained. “All meals and hotel are taken care of, and they also provide transportation back and forth—two days all expenses paid.”
He said he asked who was organizing the trip.
“They said, ‘You don’t need to ask, just enroll and go.’”
Additional reporting by Matthew Little and Anna Yang
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