For over a
century, the most reliable free traders in North America were farmers.
Globalization today needs support from the little guy as well. If Canada’s
so-called pivot to China is to be credible—outside of the energy, resource, and
related services sectors—small businesses and the agricultural sector, for
instance, better start enjoying more of the benefits.
Last year,
seeds, fruits, and grains captured less than 6 percent of Canada’s exports to
China. (Click on: www.asiapacific.ca/statistics/trade/bilateral-trade-asia-product/canadas-merchandise-trade-china.)
Mark MacKinnon
of the Globe and Mail recently reported on the first-ever Canada-China
Investors Forum in Beijing. The following exchange with Ding Yifan, a policy
advisor to the Chinese Cabinet, deserves wider discussion:
“Mr. Ding
quickly flipped from free-trader to protectionist when Mark Kruger, the head of
the economic section of the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, suggested during the
forum that high-quality Canadian agricultural products might be a perfect fit
for the Chinese market. China's emerging middle class, Mr. Kruger said, is
seeking trustworthy options following a series of shocking food safety scandals
involving some of the country's best-known food producers. 'There's huge
opportunities for Canadians to serve this market for high-quality, and also
safe, agricultural goods.'
“But, Mr. Ding
quickly made clear that Canadian farmers shouldn't plan on exporting large
amounts of food to China because the Communist Party leadership had a policy of
ensuring the country could always feed itself without relying on trade. 'China considers agriculture as a matter of national security,' he
said.”
So there you
have it: a policy dispute between what could soon be the biggest economy in the
world and one of its smaller suppliers.
The Harper
government claims that Canada can become an energy “superpower” by shifting away
from the US and aggressively deepening relations with China. (In furtherance of
that goal, Canadians are being asked to look the other way as Chinese
government-controlled companies invest massively in Canada’s strategic energy
resources.)
Is there any
substance to this new Canadian aspiration? Presumably, being a “superpower”
must mean more than merely having the means—the pipelines, harbors, and
appropriate permits—to fill another superpower’s order book.
For starters,
can Harper change China’s agriculture policy?
Can the
Canadian government—as an emerging energy superpower—ever do as well with
China as it can with the United States?
No comments:
Post a Comment