Sept. 10, 2006: Business, Experts, China, Banking

Ethics, Dalai Lama & China

What are the bona fides of the quoted analyst?

The analyst, Paul Evans is "co-chief executive of the federal government-funded Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada". Oh, taxpayer-funded. Was that set up under the Paul Martin or Jean Chretien Liberals ... deep in the mists of time? Why is he concerned that greeting a guest would sour relations with China? That China and business interests might be impacted and thus more important than hospitality toward a religious leader guest -- by doing what is right? Our journalists tend to quote analysts or experts without telling us why their expertise is valuable, nor what their connections and bias(es) might be. That is inadequate, if consumers of news are to be able to form conclusions on the relative value of said expert's advice.

Would Paul Evans' position influence his views? If so, how? Why or how did he get that position? Was there any political connection?


Too much at stake to sour relations, analyst says as MPs meet Dalai Lama -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government has angered China by sending senior MPs to Vancouver to honour the Dalai Lama on his three-day visit to Canada., Peter O'Neil, with files from Michael Scott, The Vancouver Sun - Friday, September 08, 2006 via CNEWS Forum

www.canoe.ca/mb2/messages/cnewsf/12332.html

In April, Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay voiced concern about Chinese agents spying inside Canada -- a charge China labelled baseless.

Paul Evans, co-chief executive of the federal government-funded Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, said Canada has too much at stake to let relations deteriorate over issues such as human rights and the future of Tibet.

[...] he warned that any deterioration would be counter-productive. [for whom? which business concerns? Elaborate.]

"Canada has a big interest in maintaining a positive relationship with China for several reasons, including, economic ties, promoting human rights and good governance, and collaboration on a full range of global issues," he wrote. [....]

Governance? ... Global issues? ... How would it promote human rights and good governance were our government leaders not to meet with the Dalai Lama who was originally from Tibet, and whose citizens lost their homeland to China, which simply invaded it? There was no discussion of governance in that.

Economic ties? Let's see, now, Bombardier has deals with China having to do with the railway China built into Tibet. What company or companies are involved in the area which might be impacted? SNC Lavalin? RIM? (Remember the new RIM company's Pearl. Was it a coincidence that the newest Blackberry is name reminds one of China's Pearl River? I believe there is a river with that name.) Other business deals? University deals? Academics impacted?

Are the global issues related to the Kyoto Accord money transfers which would undoubtedly be resurrected in some form to benefit ... well whoever, should the Liberals get back to governing? The UN or UNESCO -- protocols or agreements? Remember the global tax which the UN is trying to implement and the attempt to bypass national borders to achieve certain ends, the more obvious one being "no one is illegal" on which I have posted lately.

Remember that the protection of culture (UNESCO protocol) encompassed much more than the word culture would suggest. More than quaint customs and exotic dress are included, for example:

* Language and its comprehensive meaning with this protocol -- e.g. internationally traded products--intellectual products and their dissemination--online courses, speakers of dying languages with rights to have the languages kept alive with funding, news that presents the local point of view--protected and encouraged--instead of exposure to other views such as a dominant Western point of view in the dissemination of news and information around the world. There would be much scope for control of the citizenry and consolidation of dictatorial power by national governments whose citizens may not have access to others' views and information.

* Contol over internet communication and the free flow of information--removed from US based ICAAN which may have tremendous implications for the ability to scour the world for information -- Even now, China has imposed controls on Google if it wants to do business there. Those who would control, that is, the UN, with the power it gives small Third World members would have the power of exclusion based on cultural considerations, according to one protocol -- Consider the scope for exclusion of some countries for trade--Israel, Taiwan--the preponderance of some UN members aligned by religion, culture, customs--Islamic countries may claim their cultural right to male supremacy with women lacking what the West considers human rights -- trade protectionism under the umbrella of cultural rights ... so many possibilities



Sept. 7, 06, CBC announced that the Chinese government had awarded honourary citizenship--or was that plain vanilla citizenship?--to the Dalai Lama. No journalistic exploration of this ensued -- such as why China did that. Would China be likely to accord you citizenship?

Actually, the Chinese government invaded and stole the Dalai Lama's country, Tibet, and the Dalai Lama fled to India just before he would have been captured ... or worse. India generously afforded him and his followers a place to call home--a Tibetan government in exile, it could be termed--in Dharamsala, South India. One of his acolytes told me the story, but one would have expected the CBC to look further. Anyway, the tone the news reader used was what I term its perky, good news signal tone (the characteristic CBC, "Now, isn't that nice of China?" tone ... one that perhaps only I notice.)

On cue, the Globe and Mail's Brian Laghi reports on the potential problems if our government doesn't bow before the mighty dollars to be made by placating China.



Is Ottawa tilting away from China? -- Experts fear fallout from 'accumulation of slights' to Beijing -- "The issue of the lack of a meeting emerged yesterday as the Dalai Lama arrived in Vancouver", Brian Laghi, Sept. 8, 06, Globe and Mail
www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/
RTGAM.20060908.wxchina08/BNStory/National

Who are the experts and what is their stake in this? Their connections? Networks? Business interests? Political interests?

The Dalai Lama arrived on Canadian soil yesterday to the protests of Chinese diplomats upset that the religious leader will meet with a Conservative MP while they continue to wait for a formal one-on-one meeting with Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister.

Officials with the Chinese embassy confirmed yesterday that Chinese ambassador to Canada Lu Shumin has yet to formally meet with Peter MacKay, a get-together that would typically happen almost as a matter of course, according to diplomatic experts.

[....] "An accumulation of slights is going to be damaging to the long-term relationship," said Fen Hampson, head of the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University.

Prof. Hampson said not meeting with the ambassador may be perceived by the Chinese as a snub.

[.... A senior Chinese embassy official, Zhang Weidong] "We hope that any country that is friendly to China should not provide him with a venue or podium for his political activities."

Not very veiled, that fist. I believe the Asia-Pacific "expert" quoted above is representing business interests set up during the Liberal regime(s) ... and they wouldn't want a spanner in the works. But they really should learn more about doing business with China ... the implications, the dangers. See the next article.




China & Banking

BMO rising in China's bank sector -- "as a co-manager on China Merchants Bank's impending $2.7-billion (U.S.) initial public offering"

[....] angling for an even bigger prize next month: a chance to be part of the highly anticipated IPO for Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, which some industry observers expect could fetch as much as $19-billion, making it the largest stock offering in history.

BMO received a small chunk of the Bank of China issue to sell to Canadian institutional investors, and is expected to do the same with China Merchants through a private placement. The bank's capital markets strategy in China is to court clients in the mining, energy, forest products and financial services industries, and market their shares to a Canadian audience. [....]

BMO executives might want to consider this: Sept. 7, 2006: #3

frosthitstherhubarb.blogspot.com/
2006/09/sept-7-2006-3.html

Jailed Bank of China Managers Say They Were Framed (Update1), By Matthew R. Miller, Sept. 5, 06 (Bloomberg)
www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=
20601109&sid=a20epNwPxZKQ&refer=home

[....] say they're being framed to cover up corruption and incompetence at the state-owned lender.

``The Chinese government made up evidence and used it to make me look responsible,'' [....]