Joly presses China to play ‘constructive role’ to end Russia’s war on Ukraine

Canada and China disagree on many things but Beijing's buy-in is essential on one key issue — helping end the Russian war on Ukraine, says Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly.

Canada and China disagree on many things but Beijing’s buy-in is essential on one key issue — helping end the Russian war on Ukraine, says Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly.

Joly told The Canadian Press that is a message she delivered in her phone call last week with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi before arriving this week in Southeast Asia for a two-country trip that has one overarching purpose: helping deliver the Liberal government’s long-promised Indo-Pacific strategy.

The Indo-Pacific label is foreign policy shorthand for policies and approaches to the vast Asia-Pacific region that are meant to exclude China in an attempt to deal with its massive influence in the region.

Joly’s visit to Indonesia and Vietnam also comes as the Western countries, especially the United States, are leaning on China to be less supportive of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“We don’t agree on many things. But at the same time, we need to engage. I would also say that it is important for China to know what Canada’s position is on Ukraine,” Joly said in an interview from Indonesia this week , prior to her departure for Vietnam.

“I think we’re extremely specific and vocal about it. But at the same time, we think that China has an opportunity to make sure that it plays a constructive role to end the war.”

It was the first time the foreign ministers of Canada and China spoke since the September 2021 release of two Canadian men, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, from nearly three years in Chinese prisons, an incident that plunged Sino-Canadian relations to an all-time low.

The two men were imprisoned in apparent retaliation for Canada arresting Chinese tech executive Meng Wanzhou on an American extradition warrant in 2018.