News and Media

We need to distinguish hype from reality in China disputes

Originally published in The Globe and Mail on June 2, 2019

Canadians aren’t the only ones glued to the NBA playoff finals this week. Fans in China are enjoying watching the Toronto Raptors on Chinese national television. The Raptors are an example of one of the many ways in which China is linked to Canadian business interests. At the same time, two innocent Canadians are in a Chinese jail in retaliation for Canada’s arrest in December of an executive of Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. at the request of the United States.

Much is at stake for Canadian businesses as the U.S.-China and Canada-China disputes escalate. Chinese social media and state media have been heavily critical of Canada and the U.S. Many analysts have assumed the rhetoric and actions from China’s leadership and social media represent reality.

But this approach is risky: to determine what is truly at stake and what is just hype, we need to look at the evidence.

Continue reading our Head of Global Research, Danielle Goldfarb’s op-ed in The Globe and Mail here.


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