From: "Prime Minister/Premier ministre" <pm@pm.gc.ca>
To: "David Chan - Emera Capital" <dchan@emeracapital.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 11:05 AM
Subject: Office of the Prime Minister / Cabinet du Premier ministre
Dear Mr. Chan:
On behalf of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, I would like to thank you for your recent e-mail.
Please be assured that your comments have been noted and that they will receive due consideration from the Minister, who has already received a copy of your correspondence.
L.A. Lavell
Executive Correspondence Officer
for the Prime Minister's Office
Agent de correspondance de la haute direction
pour le Cabinet du Premier ministre
From : David Chan - Emera Capital dchan@emeracapital.com
Received : 08 Apr 2008 10:28:30 AM >>>
Dear Prime Minister Stephen Harper,
I am a 2nd generation Chinese immigrant living in the 905 area and a proud Canadian citizen. I have also been a supporter and member of the Conservative party since my university days. I am also involved with and relatively in tune with the Canadian Chinese community.
I believe that the current conflict in Tibet needs a counterpoint to the broad sympathies expressed by the media, commentators and political
leaders. There are over 1 billion Chinese, in China and in Canada, that dream of a successful Olympic games in Beijing. The hosting of the Beijing Olympics is a global celebration of Chinese culture, history and achievement. The IOC awarded the Olympics not to the Chinese government, but to the people of China, and by extension all people of Chinese descent. While the Canadian Chinese community has not been as vocal as the pro-Tibetan and left wing demonstrators, the hurt that they feel is real. The constant focus on one side and talk of boycotts and protests has demonized the Chinese community. The Canadian Chinese community feels that no one in Ottawa is considering their views. My own 9 year old daughter recently asked me 'why is the world so angry at us'.
It is incumbent on the leaders of a pluralistic country like Canada to consider all sides in designing foreign policy.
To this end, I want to highlight some points from the 'other side':
Firstly, a longer and broader historical context is needed to understand the conflict and the sensitivities felt by the Chinese. China has a 4,000 year history. Similiar to many European countries, China was previously a collection of warring independent states, many with their own language, customs and culture. And similiar to many European countries, China was unified by war and treaties. Indeed conquering 'external' countries such as Mongolia (the Yuan dynasty) and Manchuria (the last dynasty, or the Qing dynasty) did not replace China but instead adopted China's government structures, its Confucian philosophy and much of its culture. Currently, there are over 50 recognized ethnic groups in China; Tibetans are but one of them.
Secondly, it is difficult to find a Western country whose boundaries have not been based on the violent expulsion of indigenous people. This was certainly the case in Canada, the US and Australia. In this perspective, China's history is not unique or as depraved as one may discern from reading recent news articles. Certainly China has not been a colonial power like the Britain, France, America and Germany (countries leading the criticism of China). The fact is that Tibet has been under China's control since the 11th century under the Yuan dynasty. China eventually lost control of Tibet by the early 20th century as a result of its weakening after '100 years of humiliation' by European colonial powers, America and Japan. When the Communist took power in 1949 it mark the end of colonial involvement in China and China sought to reclaim what was once hers. The repression that the Chinese were subjected to by the colonial powers makes the policies in Tibet pale in comparison - The Chinese never placed a sign on a park in Tibet stating 'no dogs or Chinese allowed' like the British did in Shanghai and the scale of violence the Japanese inflicted in Nanjing and China is only rivalled by the Nazis in Europe. This historical perspective is not given any mention by the west, but is part of the consciousness of all Chinese.
Thirdly, while not every Chinese national or Canadian of Chinese descent supports the Chinese government, there is overwhelming support for China's claim on Tibet. These voices have been largely ignored by the Westernmedia. The pro-China demonstrations in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver reflect the broad based support China has in the overseas Chinese community. It is utterly ridiculous for pro-independent Tibet supporters to claim that the demonstrators were stooges of the Chinese government. I've also noticed that the media likes to imply that the pro-China support is due to lack of free information - e.g. ignorance. I can tell you that the demonstrators and pro-China supporters are educated, have full access to news reports and are not ignorant servants of the Chinese government. The support from the overseas Chinese community is real. Policy makers in Canada need to take this constituency into account.
People of Chinese descent around the world, have a strong appreciation of their history and a passionate pride in their historical and modern achievements and of their contributions to science, philosophy, commerce and government. The Beijing Olympics is the pinnacle of China's progress. Over 1 billion people around the world fervently hope for a successful hosting of the games. The calls for a boycott are a slap in the face to these aspirations. While the desire of Tibetans for a greater protection of their culture and for a better life is a legitimate goal, destroying the Beijing Olympics will not advance this goal.
Sincerely,
David C. W. Chan, CA
President
Emera Capital Corp.
dchan@emeracapital.com
To: "David Chan - Emera Capital" <dchan@emeracapital.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 11:05 AM
Subject: Office of the Prime Minister / Cabinet du Premier ministre
Dear Mr. Chan:
On behalf of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, I would like to thank you for your recent e-mail.
Please be assured that your comments have been noted and that they will receive due consideration from the Minister, who has already received a copy of your correspondence.
L.A. Lavell
Executive Correspondence Officer
for the Prime Minister's Office
Agent de correspondance de la haute direction
pour le Cabinet du Premier ministre
From : David Chan - Emera Capital dchan@emeracapital.com
Received : 08 Apr 2008 10:28:30 AM >>>
Dear Prime Minister Stephen Harper,
I am a 2nd generation Chinese immigrant living in the 905 area and a proud Canadian citizen. I have also been a supporter and member of the Conservative party since my university days. I am also involved with and relatively in tune with the Canadian Chinese community.
I believe that the current conflict in Tibet needs a counterpoint to the broad sympathies expressed by the media, commentators and political
leaders. There are over 1 billion Chinese, in China and in Canada, that dream of a successful Olympic games in Beijing. The hosting of the Beijing Olympics is a global celebration of Chinese culture, history and achievement. The IOC awarded the Olympics not to the Chinese government, but to the people of China, and by extension all people of Chinese descent. While the Canadian Chinese community has not been as vocal as the pro-Tibetan and left wing demonstrators, the hurt that they feel is real. The constant focus on one side and talk of boycotts and protests has demonized the Chinese community. The Canadian Chinese community feels that no one in Ottawa is considering their views. My own 9 year old daughter recently asked me 'why is the world so angry at us'.
It is incumbent on the leaders of a pluralistic country like Canada to consider all sides in designing foreign policy.
To this end, I want to highlight some points from the 'other side':
Firstly, a longer and broader historical context is needed to understand the conflict and the sensitivities felt by the Chinese. China has a 4,000 year history. Similiar to many European countries, China was previously a collection of warring independent states, many with their own language, customs and culture. And similiar to many European countries, China was unified by war and treaties. Indeed conquering 'external' countries such as Mongolia (the Yuan dynasty) and Manchuria (the last dynasty, or the Qing dynasty) did not replace China but instead adopted China's government structures, its Confucian philosophy and much of its culture. Currently, there are over 50 recognized ethnic groups in China; Tibetans are but one of them.
Secondly, it is difficult to find a Western country whose boundaries have not been based on the violent expulsion of indigenous people. This was certainly the case in Canada, the US and Australia. In this perspective, China's history is not unique or as depraved as one may discern from reading recent news articles. Certainly China has not been a colonial power like the Britain, France, America and Germany (countries leading the criticism of China). The fact is that Tibet has been under China's control since the 11th century under the Yuan dynasty. China eventually lost control of Tibet by the early 20th century as a result of its weakening after '100 years of humiliation' by European colonial powers, America and Japan. When the Communist took power in 1949 it mark the end of colonial involvement in China and China sought to reclaim what was once hers. The repression that the Chinese were subjected to by the colonial powers makes the policies in Tibet pale in comparison - The Chinese never placed a sign on a park in Tibet stating 'no dogs or Chinese allowed' like the British did in Shanghai and the scale of violence the Japanese inflicted in Nanjing and China is only rivalled by the Nazis in Europe. This historical perspective is not given any mention by the west, but is part of the consciousness of all Chinese.
Thirdly, while not every Chinese national or Canadian of Chinese descent supports the Chinese government, there is overwhelming support for China's claim on Tibet. These voices have been largely ignored by the Westernmedia. The pro-China demonstrations in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver reflect the broad based support China has in the overseas Chinese community. It is utterly ridiculous for pro-independent Tibet supporters to claim that the demonstrators were stooges of the Chinese government. I've also noticed that the media likes to imply that the pro-China support is due to lack of free information - e.g. ignorance. I can tell you that the demonstrators and pro-China supporters are educated, have full access to news reports and are not ignorant servants of the Chinese government. The support from the overseas Chinese community is real. Policy makers in Canada need to take this constituency into account.
People of Chinese descent around the world, have a strong appreciation of their history and a passionate pride in their historical and modern achievements and of their contributions to science, philosophy, commerce and government. The Beijing Olympics is the pinnacle of China's progress. Over 1 billion people around the world fervently hope for a successful hosting of the games. The calls for a boycott are a slap in the face to these aspirations. While the desire of Tibetans for a greater protection of their culture and for a better life is a legitimate goal, destroying the Beijing Olympics will not advance this goal.
Sincerely,
David C. W. Chan, CA
President
Emera Capital Corp.
dchan@emeracapital.com