During the playing of the anthem of the People’s Republic of China, several B.C. members of the legislative assembly stood up alongside Chinese Consul General in Vancouver Yang Shu, as seen in a video taken at a recent event in that city.
The event, hosted by the Chinese Benevolent Association of Vancouver (CBA) on March 5, was a celebration of International Women’s Day. In an article published on its website, the CBA said that VIPs invited to the event included Yang and B.C. MLAs Janet Routledge, Michael Lee, and Teresa Wat.
At one point, the provincial lawmakers are seen standing next to Yang, who sang along as the anthem played, according to a video accompanying an article published by the Canadian version of China.com, an online media outlet whose parent company is Chinese state-run Global Broadcasting Media Group.
The video was first flagged on Twitter by a reporter with The Breaker News, a Vancouver-based media outlet.
The Epoch Times contacted all three provincial representatives for comment about their attendance at the CBA event but has not heard back as of press time.
The CBA, a non-profit registered in B.C., has a record of taking stances that align with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This includes its clampdown on the democracy movement in Hong Kong and the regime’s territorial claims over Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy off China’s southeastern coast.
In June 2019, CBA was one of dozens of other Chinese-Canadian associations that published a joint statement on the CCP mouthpiece Ming Pao newspaper, condemning a massive protest by Hongkongers against the government-proposed extradition bill that raised concerns about Beijing eroding Hong Kong’s autonomy.
The CBA was also among 87 groups in Canada that signed an open letter published in August 2022 voicing support for Beijing after the regime released a White Paper reiterating its threats to “reunify” with Taiwan, including through military means. The White Paper was published after former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, an event that saw fierce criticism from the Chinese authorities.
The Epoch Times reached out to the CBA for comment regarding the March 5 event but didn’t hear back.
CCP Interference
The B.C. lawmakers’ attendance at the CBA event came amid public concerns over China’s interference attempts in Canada. The concerns stemmed from a series of media reports detailing such CCP operations, including but not limited to Beijing’s meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.A Globe and Mail report in February pointed to the role of Chinese consulates in Canada in carrying out Beijing’s strategy to bring back a Liberal minority in 2021 and to defeat certain Conservative candidates deemed unfriendly to China. The report also cited a national security source alleging former Chinese consul general in Vancouver Tong Xiaoling boasted about playing a role in the defeat of two B.C. federal Conservative candidates.
At the March 5 event, Yang commended Tong, his predecessor, as an exemplary figure for female Chinese diplomats. Tong served as the Chinese consul general in Vancouver from November 2017 to July 2022.
