Canadian Prime Minister: Won’t Sell Out on Human Rights in Exchange for Trade with China

(Clearwisdom.net) Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper expressed on November 15, 2006 that Canada won't "sell out" on human rights to promote trade and investment with China. The Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister pointed out the same day that Canada hopes that enhancing relations with China is not only to obtain benefits, and Canada will not back off on human rights. Harper’s remarks came on Wednesday after the Chinese government abruptly cancelled a private meeting between Harper and Hu Jintao during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference (APEC) in Vietnam.

According to CTV.CA, Harper expressed on Wednesday before heading for Vietnam that he did not think that Canadians would want the government to sell out important Canadian values in exchange for economic benefits, even if this means the cancellation of the meeting with Hu Jintao.

Also according to the CTV.CA, Prime Minister Harper told reporters on the plane, "I think Canadians want us to promote our trade relations worldwide, and we will do that, but I don't think Canadians want us to sell out important Canadian values -- our belief in democracy, freedom, human rights."

Harper stated, "I don’t think we have done something unusual. This only promotes Canadian values and interests." He said, "There's always a balance to these things."

The report said that Tory MP's were also among the most vocal critics of religious persecution in China -- in particular the treatment of members of the Falun Gong faith.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2006/11/17/142650.html

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