Harper Doing What He Gets Paid For

Looking after the interests of the people of Canada........

PM has a `frank' chat with Chinese president
Discussion includes `consular cases'
Nov. 19, 2006. 01:00 AM
TONDA MACCHARLES
OTTAWA BUREAU

HANOI—After days of awkward diplomatic to-and-fro, Prime Minister Stephen Harper met here yesterday evening with Chinese President Hu Jintao.

It was the Chinese leader who "engaged the Prime Minister in a conversation that was frank and constructive," said Harper's deputy press secretary, Dimitri Soudas.

The two had merely "exchanged pleasantries" during the daytime Asia-Pacific meeting of 21 leaders here, where trade dominated the afternoon agenda. And prior to the gala dinner, Canadian officials had left the prospects of any meeting between the two up in the air. They said Harper was "open" to a meeting but suggested there had been little communication to set up a formal one-on-one meeting.

At the gala dinner last night in Hanoi, it appears Hu took the initiative.

The two leaders "discussed a range of issues from economic to political, including consular cases" — the condition Harper had set down in order for the conversation to take place.

"They agreed that continuing to build the Canada-China relationship is important and the Prime Minister stressed that it needs to be based on an open, frank and wide-ranging dialogue," Soudas said.

En route to Vietnam, Harper had suggested China was reluctant to talk with him because his government intended to "frankly" discuss human rights, particularly the case of a jailed Burlington man, Huseyin Celil, viewed by China as a separatist and terrorist.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told Canadian reporters last night's meeting was merely a "brief" encounter where the two leaders reiterated the importance of their countries' economic relationship. He said human rights were not discussed and the case of Celil was touched on only briefly. Hu reiterated China's view that Celil "is a Chinese national."

— Tonda MacCharles