The COVID-19 pandemic has opened the eyes of Canadians to the strategic ambitions of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), calling into question Canada’s current relationship with China. Elliot Tepper, a member of MLI’s research advisory board, joined Craig Needles to discuss if Canada has been too trusting of the CCP, especially in the context of the pandemic.
According to, Tepper Canada’s “wake up call to the nature of the regime” had already begun before the pandemic.
He argues that there was a “generally vague, but benign view of China as a willing, cooperative, rising power that wanted to be a responsible player in the world. After the arrest of the two Michaels, suddenly China started [to look different in the eyes of the] Canadian public,” explains Tepper. The prevailing view now clearly sees China in a much more clear and negative light. “And now with the COVID-19 crisis you have a situation where the role of China is being examined.”
Tepper goes on to discuss how the Chinese regime has handled the COVID-19 pandemic, the disinformation and propaganda emanating from Beijing, and the future of globalization and economic interdependence.