Amid Chinese aggression, ‘Taiwan’s fight is Canada’s fight,’ MPs vow

Previous visits by Canadian politicians to Taiwan have largely focused on issues such as trade. But the conversation on this trip carried a much starker tone.

A delegation of Canadian politicians met with the president of Taiwan in Taipei Wednesday to discuss the Chinese government’s military aggression and allegations of foreign interference.

“Even as we arrived here, there’s 160 warplanes flying overhead and they’re carrying on naval exercises,” said Liberal MP John McKay, referencing this week’s Chinese military exercises.

“Our message to them is that Taiwan’s fight is Canada’s fight,” he said.

The 10 Canadian MPs included representatives from the Liberals, Conservatives, NDP and Bloc Quebecois. They wore pins on their lapels bearing the Taiwanese and Canadian flags and were greeted with a warm smile and handshakes by President Tsai Ing-wen.

“Canada is a very important democratic partner,” Tsai told the delegation from her podium in a briefing room inside the Presidential Office Building.

“Faced with continued authoritarian expansionism, it is even more critical for democracies to actively unite.”

The Canadian MPs presented Tsai with a hardcopy of a report that passed unanimously last month by the House of Commons’ special committee on Canada-China relations, which called for closer ties with Taiwan and an end to Chinese military encroachment.

Previous visits by Canadian politicians to Taiwan, like the one last year, have largely focused on issues such as trade. But the conversation on this trip carried a much starker tone.