Quebec Premier: Won’t Lecture the Chinese
Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard, in Shanghai on a trade mission with two other Canadian premiers, said he has no intention of lecturing his Chinese hosts on ‘human rights’. Particularly intriguing is his statement at the bottom. Yes indeed, try to provide for the citizens of and govern a country 41 times the size of Canada; Beijing’s population alone is 2/3 of Canada.
On Sunday, Couillard said he was in China mostly to talk about greater “investment and collaboration.”
Couillard said it’s important to tread lightly, since China has its own unique culture and has changed a lot in recent years.
“I don’t think you need to give lessons when visiting other countries. You have to listen to the point of view of your hosts on these questions. And we must also realize the tremendous progress that has been made in China in the last 25-30 years,” he said.
“You have to see it also in the context of Chinese civilization, which is a very ancient civilization, where things are moving, but they move at their own pace.”
As well, Couillard said China could play a major role in Quebec’s economic growth.
“We need to bring in capital, we need private investment in Quebec, and there is a lot of capital available here in China and there’s interest in investing it,” he said.
Besides attracting Chinese investment, Couillard said he wants to generate interest in Quebec exports. Quebec exports to China have jumped 130 per cent since 2009 and now total $2.6 billion annually.
The Quebec delegation totals nearly 150 people, with representatives mostly from the business sector but also from educational and cultural fields.
Couillard said Quebec could learn a lot from China, especially in the context of how to combine economic development while managing such a complex country.
“We have a much less complex country… imagine here, in a country of 1.3 billion people, the challenge of ensuring harmonious development, and encouraging greater social equality.”
– Canadian Press