Claws of the Panda: Beijing's Campaign of Influence and Intimidation in Canada is a 2019 book by Jonathan Manthorpe about Canada's foreign relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the influence of the Chinese Communist Party in Canada. Manthorpe argues that Canada and the PRC have a clash of values and that Canada has been a victim of multiple abuses by Beijing including spying, abductions, human rights abuses, intellectual property theft, monitoring and intimidating Chinese Canadians and Chinese dissidents, and other attempts to influence Canadian policy.[1][2] His thesis is that the PRC has been able to implement such policies for a number of years due to naivete by Canadian policy makers. In the book, Manthorpe advocates for a change in Canadian foreign policy towards the PRC.
 | |
| Author | Jonathan Manthorpe |
|---|---|
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Chinese Communist Party, Canada–China relations, Chinese Canadians, Chinese dissidents |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Set in | Canada and the People's Republic of China |
| Publisher | Cormorant Books |
Publication date | 5 January 2019 |
| Pages | 336 |
| ISBN | 9781770865396 (Paperback) |
It was published around the same time as a period of strained relations between the two countries following the arrest of Huawei's deputy chair and CFO Meng Wanzhou in Canada in December 2018 and two subsequent arrests of Canadian citizens (Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor) in the PRC. Canada accused the PRC of arresting Kovrig and Spavor in retaliation for the Meng arrest.[3][4]
Manthorpe has clarified that the book is "not a book about Canadians of Chinese heritage" and was concerned about the book being used to provoke sentiment against Chinese Canadians.[5] He also mentioned that it was "wrong, and ultimately dangerous, to view the CCP's infiltration of Canada as racial".[6]
See also edit
- Silent Invasion, 2018 book about Chinese government influence in Australia.
- Stealth War, 2019 book about Chinese government influence in the United States
References edit
- ^ "CIC Victoria: Claws of the Panda: Beijing's Campaign of Influence and Intimidation in Canada". thecic.org. Canadian International Council. 21 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
- ^ Cernetig, Miro (2019-01-25). "China bares its claws, exposing several misguided myths: Book review". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
- ^ "The upside of the Huawei confrontation: It's teaching Canada to be wary of China". thestar.com. The Star. 25 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
- ^ Porter, Catherine; Buckley, Chris (2018-12-22). "Canada Presses China on 'Arbitrary' Detention of Citizens". The New York Times. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
- ^ "Claws of the Panda shines light on Canada's naive response to China". Canada.com. Postmedia Network Inc. 2 July 2019.
- ^ Manthorpe, Jonathan (2019). Claws of the Panda: Beijing's Campaign of Influence and Intimidation in Canada. Cormorant Books. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-77086-540-2. OCLC 1158965449.
External links edit
- CBC radio interview with Manthorpe about the book