Chinese Canadians worried about political backlash amid foreign interference scrutiny

There are concerns about Chinese Canadians being tarred by association during a debate about political interference has recently triggered calls for a public investigation.

Mark Lee, a professional translator and former council candidate in Richmond, B.C., says he knows what it’s like to walk the fine line faced by fellow Chinese Canadians entering the political arena amid scrutiny of alleged foreign interference.

He says he’s not ignorant of the risks and considers potential political interference a serious issue that needs to be addressed.

“I’ve seen things that I think are maybe suspicious, or I feel like I don’t agree with coming out of, for example, the (Chinese) consulate,” said Lee, who ran unsuccessfully last year as part of the slate for the Richmond Citizens Association.

But he also worries about Chinese Canadians being tarred by association, and the potential for misunderstanding of “cultural dynamics” during a debate about political interference that has been going on for years within Chinese communities but has recently triggered broader scrutiny and calls for a public investigation.

“There were some people in Richmond who were basically treating it like, if you have any connection with certain groups, then you must be a Chinese government spy or infiltrated or something like that,” said Lee, who lives in the most ethnically Chinese city in Canada.

Lee’s concerns are echoed by Chinese Canadian figures across the political spectrum who simultaneously worry, with varying emphasis, about interference by Chinese authorities, a lack of nuance, racism and the use of the debate to push wedges into ethnic Chinese communities.

The Globe and Mail newspaper reported last month that China had worked to help ensure a Liberal minority victory in the 2021 federal election, as well as defeat Conservative politicians considered unfriendly to Beijing, including Kenny Chiu, who lost his seat in Steveston-Richmond East.

Chiu says he’s gravely concerned that possible foreign interference may have played a role in his election loss, but also worries about oversimplification, and a monolithic view that Canadians with Chinese links are more likely to be influenced.