Canada Should Be Vigilant About China’s Untoward Goals in International Organizations: Professor

The opening session of the 53rd U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva on June 19, 2023. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)

As Beijing seeks increasing influence within international organizations, Canada should actively fortify its alliances with traditional Western partners to counter the regime’s ambition to reshape the democratic international structure, MPs heard.

Chancellor’s Professor Fen Osler Hampson from Carleton University warned about China’s pursuit of a dominant role in global governance in his testimony before the House Special Committee on the Canada–People’s Republic of China Relationship (CACN) on Jan. 29.

The professor of international affairs pointed to Beijing’s pursuit of leadership positions within international institutions as the first pillar of its global governance strategy. He highlighted the United Nations and its related agencies, including the Human Rights Council and U.N. peacekeeping missions.

“Why does this matter? Over the years, U.N. peacekeeping and peacebuilding operations have played an essential role in fostering democracy, advancing human rights, and contributing to developing open markets,” he said. “China’s reputation and influence in those missions will move the goalposts away from democratization and good governance.”

Equally concerning is China’s focus on expanding influence in key global standards-setting bodies, such as the International Telecommunication Union, International Organization for Standardization, and International Electrotechnical Commission.

These bodies stand at the epicentre of the intense competition in innovative internet-based technologies between China and the United States and its Western allies, Mr. Hampton said. A dominant position gives China control at the forefront of the technological frontier, thus “conferring a competitive advantage to its technology sector.”

‘Offsetting Chinese Influence’

As the second pillar of its global governance strategy, Beijing is actively seeking to establish a new global economic order by creating its own separate international institutions and global forums. This order may one day parallel the U.S.-led Bretton Woods trading and monetary system, Mr. Hampton emphasized. The system laid the foundation for foreign currency exchange with the creation of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

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An example is the expansion of the BRICS bloc. Starting out as “BRIC” in 2006, consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, the bloc of developing nations turned into BRICS in 2010 when South Africa joined. It then welcomed six new members in August 2023, namely Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Their membership came into effect in January 2024.

Mr. Hampson said Canada should not harbour any illusions that Beijing will support its positions and aspirations for leadership in the U.N. and other international bodies. Despite this, he urged Canada to uphold its international commitments.

“That’s not the reason to throw in the towel or walk away from our international commitments and responsibilities,” he said. “It does mean that we’re going to have to work much harder to make new friends and build new international coalitions beyond our traditional Western support group to advance our values and interests.”

Mr. Hampson called for proactive measures to counterbalance China’s growing influence.

“We must become more active in offsetting Chinese influence, not just here in Canada, but internationally and in those institutions where the Chinese are making a real bid for power and influence,” he said.

And Canada should be “a strong champion of governance reform to counter influence in those institutions,” as he said many developing countries are interested in BRICS because of “widespread dissatisfaction” with the governance structures of existing international institutions.

Foremost is “to put more people in the field,” he said. “We don’t have enough people at the specialized agencies, watching what’s going on and advancing our own interests. So it’s a real capability challenge. And that means also funding those missions properly.”

‘Catch-Up Game’

The Jan. 29 CACN committee meeting also discussed Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS), unveiled in November 2022.

The IPS, describing the communist regime as an “increasingly disruptive global power,” also noted that “China has benefitted from the rules-based international order to grow and prosper, but it is now actively seeking to reinterpret these rules to gain greater advantage.”

Citing Mr. Hampson’s previous testimony to the House National Defence Committee in February 2022, where he expressed concerns about Canada’s under-strengthened military, Conservative MP Kyle Seeback asked him if he has observed any progress in enhancing Canada’s defence capabilities since release of the IPS.

Mr. Hampson said things haven’t changed “very substantially.” “There are commitments underway to add to the strength of our navy, or at least replace old stock. But we have yet to ... really put any of that new capital into the water,” he said.

Mr. Seeback said that was some of the complaints he himself has heard. “It talks a lot about things, but the actual deliverables either aren’t there when they’re specified. But even most things aren’t specified.”

Mr. Hampson highlighted the direction Australia is moving in, increasing its defence spending along with enhancing its military capabilities with nuclear-powered submarines.

“At the end of the day, people will look and our allies will look at our capabilities, which have not increased substantially in the past two years,” he said. “We’re playing a catch up game and we’re falling farther and farther behind, I’m afraid, even with the new commitments that the government is making.”