The appointments of Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne and International Trade Minister Mary Ng may send a signal to Beijing that the Liberal government wants to warm relations, experts say.

But one China observer worries that the selection of figures with dense business-related backgrounds in the two ministerial roles key to the China file, and as ambassador, may tilt Canada’s approach to Beijing too much in one direction.

“With the three portfolios, there’s no diversity of background, which is what I’m a little concerned about,” said Lynette Ong, a China expert at the University of Toronto.

“There should be a mix of people that represent different sets of values, which is what Canadian policy towards China should stand for.”

Champagne and Ng, who were promoted in Wednesday’s cabinet unveiling, come at their roles with resumes leaning strongly toward business. Prior to politics, Champagne was a corporate lawyer specializing in international trade. Ng, a former staffer in the prime minister’s office, had focused on entrepreneurship and business policy in her pre-political work.

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Before becoming Canada’s ambassador to China in September, Dominic Barton was a staunch advocate for trade with China and headed McKinsey & Company, a consulting firm controversial for its dealings with Chinese state-owned clients.

Their appointments come as Canada-China relations remain sour over the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou and detentions of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, which occurred almost one year ago. China has further sought to punish Canada by restricting imports of certain agricultural products.

In that time, criticisms of China in the West have grown over its human rights record and aggression when it comes to Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Tibet. Recent public opinion polls also suggest Canadians are seeing China with an increasingly negative lens.

Ong said there should be a mix of figures in those roles that include figures both known for pressing for human rights and working with Beijing in certain areas such as trade and the environment.

Her reading of the appointments is that it sends a “consistent message” Canada wants to foster better business ties with China.

Wenran Jiang, a University of British Columbia professor focused on China, said Beijing will perceive the three appointments as a message of “pro-engagement” and “pro-business.”

“It will be read by Beijing as a very positive, a very moderate, and a very engaging signal out of the new cabinet from Ottawa,” he said.

While it’s not yet clear how Champagne will carve out an identity on the China file as foreign minister, Jiang said his business background and experience as a former international trade minister will be well acknowledged by Beijing.

He noted Champagne had visited China as part of the Canadian delegation on a state visit in 2017, where they dined and mingled with members of China’s political and business elite. A goal of the trip was to get free trade talks going between both countries, something that did not happen.

In a notable moment during the trip, Champagne and his staff had abruptly left the delegation’s plane to stay behind in Beijing in hopes of nailing down a framework to launch discussions.

On Wednesday, Champagne told reporters outside Rideau Hall that he would raise the detentions of Kovrig and Spavor with China’s foreign minister Wang Yi at the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Japan this weekend.

“We have been raising this issue at every single opportunity as the Canadian government and certainly I will continue to do so when I’m going to meet him in the next few days,” he said.

Ng, meanwhile, is the lone member of federal cabinet who is of Chinese ethnicity, something Ong said is a perceived bonus.

“I think, everything else be equal, Beijing would see her as someone that they can they can speak to,” she said.

Her 2019 campaign was co-chaired by former Ontario cabinet minister Michael Chan, whose political views have echoed much of the Chinese Communist Party’s stances. In July, Ng was also criticized for posting a cheery tweet while visiting China as Small Business and Export Promotion minister.

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China’s embassy in Ottawa did not provide comment on the new cabinet members prior to deadline on Thursday.

Champagne, who hails from Shawinigan, Que., is also a protege of former prime minister Jean Chrétien. He has spent his post-political life as a consultant for businesses tapping into China’s economy, and is perceived favourably in Beijing for his efforts to promote bilateral ties throughout his life.

Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, a senior fellow at the China Institute of the University of Alberta, said the appointments “send a signal to China that Canada-China relations are very important to this government.”

“These are three people who have done business with China who are known by senior officials in China and can open doors,” said McCuaig-Johnston, who recently authored a Macdonald-Laurier Institute study arguing for a reset in approach toward China.

She said both Champagne and Ng will “need to develop a balanced policy of support to Canadian business, while at the same time speaking out firmly and consistently for rule of law and the protection of human rights.”

Ong said protests Hong Kong show no signs of letting up and will likely pose a challenge for Champagne going forward. Roughly 300,000 Canadians reside in the semi-autonomous region.