Torture Victim's Bombshell: Don't Fall for China's 'Wrapping Paper'
A former Canadian diplomat who endured psychological torture for over a thousand days in a Chinese prison has issued an urgent, exclusive warning to Ottawa.
- AeigisPolitica
- 3 minute read
A former Canadian diplomat who endured psychological torture for over a thousand days in a Chinese prison has issued an urgent, exclusive warning to Ottawa.
Imagine spending nearly six months in solitary confinement, fluorescent lights blazing 24 hours a day, with interrogations lasting up to nine hours daily. This is the reality Michael Kovrig lived for more than a thousand days, treatment he explicitly called “psychological torture.” Now, this former diplomat, one of the “Two Michaels,” is delivering a bombshell warning to every Canadian: Don’t buy the charm offensive.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is aggressively pursuing a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the APEC Summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, a strategic move to “offset US tariffs” following President Donald Trump’s termination of trade talks with Canada. But Kovrig sees this push for a “strategic relationship” as a dangerous gamble, cautioning that China is simply changing the “mood music,” not its hostile actions.
The Price of a Handshake
For Kovrig, the political calculus is agonizingly personal. “To see a prime minister… smiling and shaking hands with people who were previously involved in taking me hostage and blackmailing the country is not comfortable,” he stated. This is the raw human consequence of what Ottawa is calling “geopolitics.”
You must ask yourself: What is the true cost of that handshake? Kovrig was detained in December 2018, accused of spying, and missed the birth of his own daughter, meeting her for the first time when she was two-and-a-half years old. This profound injustice serves as a chilling reminder of the leverage Beijing holds and its willingness to weaponize human lives for political gain.
Carney’s Desperate Pivot
The urgency driving Prime Minister Carney’s pivot is the severe pressure from the U.S. trade war. Canada remains overwhelmingly dependent on its southern neighbor, with approximately 75% of its exported goods heading to the U.S. When Trump terminated trade talks over an Ontario anti-tariff ad, the need for economic diversification became a political imperative.
Carney is walking an international tightrope, aiming to forge new alliances across the Indo-Pacific. His officials have confirmed he is pursuing a bilateral meeting with Xi Jinping at the upcoming summit in South Korea (October 31 to November 1). This move is designed to send a clear message to Washington: Canada has other options.
The ‘Diplomatic Wrapping Paper’ Trap
Kovrig warns that China’s current “charm offensive” is nothing more than “diplomatic wrapping paper” masking a foundational hostility. He stresses that Beijing is not offering to change its behavior on core issues like human rights, political interference, or arbitrary detention. It just wants Canada to drop its guard.
“We need our politicians and our government to be frank and transparent with Canadians about what the risks and potential rewards and the tradeoffs are,” Kovrig insists. His message is clear: if you seek a meeting with General Secretary Xi Jinping, “There’s a price.” That price, historically, has been paid by Canadian citizens.
What’s at Stake for You
Carney’s credentials as a former central banker may lend him credibility, but optics matter immensely in Asia. The danger is that in its desperation to escape U.S. bullying, Canada could be exploited by a regime that sees “mutual respect” and “win-win cooperation” as mere slogans to be decoded.
The political insight here is critical: Diversifying away from the U.S. is essential for Canadian sovereignty, but rushing into the arms of a hostile regime is reckless. Do we risk the safety of our citizens and our core values just to alleviate a trade headache? The choice is not between two comfortable partners, but between a difficult ally and a proven hostage-taker. We must demand our government establish firm, non-negotiable guardrails before one more Canadian executive or traveler becomes the next pawn in Beijing’s ruthless game.
Original Source: CBC News