Taiwan’s foreign minister is warning Canada of China’s subtle efforts to further its political interests in democratic countries, particularly in mobilizing pro-regime opposition to Taiwan and protests in Hong Kong.

In an interview with foreign journalists in Taipei on Friday, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said pro-Beijing counter-protests to rallies in support of pro-democracy Hong Kong demonstrations “seems to be mobilized or motivated by the Chinese embassies in those countries.”

Taiwan’s top diplomat said it’s something like-minded democratic countries have to be concerned about.

“Are we going to allow an authoritarian country to be able to dictate its citizens abroad?” he said. “Or are we going to allow the Chinese government to continue to use its citizens abroad to influence the policies of another country?”

Wu, who represents the self-governing island that China has long claimed is a break-off province, said university campuses in particular are targeted using Chinese international students.

One example he gave was recent efforts by mainland Chinese students at the London School of Economics to get a campus sculpture altered to show Taiwan as part of China.

Wu also warned of China’s ability to influence politics through donations and lobbying, and to use its economic power to pressure foreign businesses to act in alignment with its interests.

“I think this is a very serious question we need to ask. And I see that some countries are awakening to that aspect,” he said.

“Australia is waking up in that they feel they need to do something. And I think, to some degree, Canada also seems to be paying attention to that.”

Last year, Australia passed a law requiring foreign actors in the political sphere to register and detail their activities publicly.

The move was made amid concerns Beijing was operating to influence diaspora communities and intimidate political opponents through the “United Front Work Department,” an organ of the Communist Party seeking to promote China’s political interests outside of the mainland.

OPINIONS: United Front main ‘soft-power’ tool for China’s governing Communist Party

Charles Burton, an expert on Canada-China issues and professor at Brock University, said it’s hard to map out United Front efforts in Canada, but it’s believed the organization aims to influence Chinese nationals, those of Chinese background and others with sway in the policy realm.

He said Taiwanese are among five groups targeted in these efforts, the others being Tibetans, Muslim Uyghurs, Falun Gong practitioners and those supporting democracy in China, particularly in connection with Hong Kong.

Burton, a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, said unlike Australia, Canada has little way of regulating foreign actors, nor is there the political will to propose legislation given the country’s business interests in China.

“Our legislation is probably not equal to the challenge in terms of defining what is appropriate activities for a foreign state in Canada and what is inappropriate,” he said.

Invited to respond to Wu’s comments, China’s embassy in Ottawa did not reply to multiple requests for comment.

Chinese regime involvement was alleged in a pro-Beijing counter-demonstration to a Vancouver rally held in support of Hong Kong protests last month. Hundreds of people came out in support of each side.

Many of the themes in Hong Kong’s demonstrations align with the messaging of Taiwan’s nationalist movement, which seeks independence for the island under a democratic system.

The Hong Kong crisis is followed closely in Taiwan, in part, because political fault lines in the country are formed by whether the country should seek closer ties with Beijing or distance itself. The protests often make the front pages of Taiwan’s daily newspapers.

Wu, who is a member of the Taiwanese nationalist party, said because democracy and personal freedoms are enjoyed in Taiwan, there was a “natural tendency” for its people to support the protests.

He said the events have prompted Western governments to be vocal in calling for Beijing to respect the rule of law, freedom and democracy.

“We saw Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was also very courageous in speaking out, (that the) Chinese government needs to show responsibility,” he said.

Last month, Trudeau called for China to be “very careful and very respectful in how it deals with people who have legitimate concerns in Hong Kong.” Canada and China relations have nosedived over the December arrest of a Huawei executive in Vancouver and subsequent detention of two Canadians in China.

In the interview, Wu also criticized the Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank (AIIB), saying it “works hand-in-hand” with China’s Belt and Road Initiative — a global trade infrastructure development strategy involving developing countries from Asia to South America.

Upon joining AIIB in 2016, Canada purchased a small share of the bank, worth about $250 million. The Conservatives had pledged to exit and divest Canada out of the bank if they form government next year.

Wu said the Belt and Road strategy was creating a “debt trap” for many poorer countries and that as an international financial institution, he was concerned AIIB did not meet the needed standard for transparency.

Canada does not formally recognize Taiwan due to the “one-China” principle — where countries of the world must officially recognize mainland China as the sole representative of China in the international community. Taiwan declined to join AIIB in 2016, after China said its entry would only be permitted under specific conditions.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The author of this story visited Taiwan as part of a tour for journalists financed by the country’s foreign affairs ministry. However, the Taiwanese government was not privy to any copy prior to publication nor do they have jurisdiction over any stories produced as a result of the visit.

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