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David Emerson, 'son-in-law of China'

Geoffrey York, July 2, 2008 at 12:52 PM EST

David Emerson

 BEIJING – China's media are hailing David Emerson as the potential savior of Canada-China relations. The new Canadian foreign minister, they say, is a “son-in-law of China” who understands this country better than any of his cabinet colleagues.

Mr. Emerson is called a “son-in-law of China” because his wife, Theresa Yeuk-Si Tang, was born in Hong Kong. The Chinese media are all in a flutter about it. They say the new foreign minister even has a Chinese name – Ai Minxin, which can be loosely translated as “trusted by the people.”

An article in the Global Times, a popular state-owned tabloid in Beijing, praises Emerson for his “close relations” with ethnic Chinese in Vancouver. “Due to his many communications with the Chinese government, Emerson is recognized as a Chinese expert,” the newspaper said.

 “Analysts think that Emerson's appointment as foreign minister might bring an improvement in relations between Canada and China,” the Global Times added. “He is expected to reduce the ideological differences between Canada and China…. He is the Canadian minister who is most familiar with Chinese issues, and the one who has visited China the most times.”

The Chinese media love to emphasize the Chinese ethnic connections of any prominent foreigner.  People such as Mr. Emerson and business tycoon Rupert Murdoch are described as “sons-in-law of China” because their wives are ethnically Chinese. The new Australian prime minister, Kevin Rudd, is lionized in the Chinese press because he speaks Mandarin and his daughter married a Hong Kong man. And of course Canada's former Governor-General, Adrienne Clarkson, was another Chinese media favorite because she was born in Hong Kong.

But the Chinese media are probably correct in their assessment of Mr. Emerson's expertise. I have interviewed almost every Canadian cabinet minister who has visited Beijing in recent years, and Mr. Emerson is by far the most knowledgeable on Chinese issues. Most of his cabinet colleagues are China neophytes who are usually terse and uncomfortable when answering questions on sensitive Canada-China issues. Mr. Emerson is a rare minister who seems unflustered on almost any Chinese subject.

Whether this will lead to an improvement in Canada-China relations, however, is doubtful. Prime Minister Stephen Harper is still calling the shots on Canada's foreign policy, and he is one of the few Western leaders who has never bothered to visit China. The Chinese government pays attention to these matters, and it has noted Mr. Harper's apparent disdain for China.

  1. joseph Cheng from Toronto, Canada writes: PM Harper has no disdain for China. He does not want to visit China because he knows what further damage Chinese food can do to the size of his midriff. The PM can see that Minister Emerson's rotundity is the result of the latter's marriage to a Chinese lady. Thus, the PM won't want to get near China with a ten-foot pole. Also, he can't use chopsticks!
  2. Fair Justville from toronto, Canada writes: i don't think if mr. harper visits China is too important given the state of bi lateral relations. neither did mr. Hu visit Canada. the world still is what it is and didn't get worse materially. it would have more impact to the world if Bush didn't bother to visit China. Senior US officials frequently visit China. it doesn't matter who will be the next US president. the situation wouldn't change.

    "The Chinese media love to emphasize the Chinese ethnic connections of any prominent foreigner." Are we not? remember how much effort Canadian media has put in for the first Canadian woman to marry into the royal family. how many times did we talk about the Canadian connections of those hollywood stars on TV or papers?
  3. Andyou XT from Toronto, Canada writes: It is pretty much popular to issue varied comments successively with implicit commendation if a man got a promotion for high level position in other countries, who has consanguinity with chinese, even a little bit, even if the relation dated to many centuries ago like the present PM of Thailand, Samak Sundaravej (He said his ancestor came the country from china 227 years ago) and Gary Locke, the 21th and 22th governor of Washington State,and so on. "it has profound and far-reaching meaning that they possess the power." Power is meaning elixir and his "relatives" got it. This is also an honor of theirs. Someone might be thinking like this when the applause is made. There may be much difference between the conceit and reality, as it is. It is beyond consideration "whoever" they are when they are given the power . It is not as the same way to be got a promotion like someone else in china. Others have already changed their way! Additionally, the far-reaching mean what here are getting to put forwards that there are many world wide famous chinese men, like Gao Xing Jian who is France-chinese honering the Nobel Literature Prize in 2000. There are barely some indifferent and encapsulated comments about him. "Very few writers would not involve themselves in politics, the leaders think (the leaders always think everything is political). Gaoxingjian has a close relationship with the West and Taiwan, his writings about China were published first outside China, and he had announced that he would never live in China again. This is a betrayal (they say).We need to make it clear, however, that if the Nobel Prize for Literature implies some kind of political purpose, it will then lose its literary authority. We should also be aware (they say) that one of the reasons our native Chinese writers are not able to get the world-level attention is because our lack of work in creating the necessary transmission or translation channels; we have a lot to do in this regard.
  4. Andyou XT from Toronto, Canada writes: ......

    We have never read or heard of a book by Gao. It seems that the Swedish Academy has put more weight on a writer as a single individual than on his audience — Chinese people.
    Is this a problem of the Nobel Prize&8217;s standard, or a problem of our understanding? There is too much difference between us, in culture, language and politics. It seems the distance between the Chinese people and the Nobel Prize for Literature has drifted further apart instead of closer, and we cannot expect too much from the West in understanding our values."

    What is the difference between them? What is the values exactly? Something is wrong with the western culture?
    In 2005, Austrian President congradulated Elfriede Jelinek for getting the prize although she hated bitterly the country and criticized the government ironically in her works from stem to stern.
  5. Springfire de Shang Shung from Mongolia writes: Thoughtful Chinese have a lot of repair work to do since trashing, abusing and harbouring contempt for Nobel laureates in general, such as Aung San Suu Kyi. Correct, we do not understand the values that sneer at human rights champions.
  6. Pal Hal from Canada writes: The recent riots in southern China over the young girls rape/death, I wonder what many of the pro Chinese posters here think? I mean 30,000 plus Chinese looting & rioting, why didn't the police come in a just fire as they have recently in Tibet? If they did what would you think? Are these Chinese protesters/rioters to be called "terrorist" as the protesters in Tibet have been liberally labeled? Just curious to know.
  7. David Smith from Markham, Canada writes: Pal Hal, you are just one of those frogs in the Shallow Well. Keep that way and enjoy yourself as no one cares what you think in the rest of world.
  8. Andyou XT from Toronto, Canada writes: Dogs of the same street bark alike, although the name is totally diffirent from "zhang" or "wang". It is harshly embarrassing, sometimes, to find a exact object to use some proverbs like " frogs in the Shallow Well" . Do you think "There is safety in numbers"? It is not likely to be long time!
  9. stanley xie from United States writes: The recent "riots" in southern China did not kill or burn anybody to death, so China sacked all the officials of that remote county for angering the public.

    Tibet? maybe in 20 years, we will see a riot in Tibet again. Who knows.
  10. P cheng from ottawa, Canada writes: stanley xie from United States writes: Tibet? maybe in 20 years, we will see a riot in Tibet again. Who knows.
    ==========>
    Are you sure? It is 50 years next years and they may have a big plan as the olympic.
  11. Glynn W from Canada writes: China, China, China...what is it about the country that seems to attract so much attention in the Western world especially the English speaking part? No one and everyone will know China...I don't think they themselves do either but they are not worried about it like we are. Did anyone note that they were the only country that did not riot after fuel subsidies were stopped?
  12. Andyou XT from Toronto, Canada writes: "china, china, china....." is so "interesting" that their deeds are wierd and words are plausible, They never do what they said and never say what thay did. To outside, they are "striving " to mimic the style other big countries in appearance; to inside, they are still "singing" , in fact, the old song "dongfanghong " to bully people and misgive them to believe in that " No comparty, then, never the prosperous!". Isn't it interesting enough?
  13. Fifay Chu from Canada writes: I will not vote for the Conservative regardless. Harper has long lost the vote of this Chinese-Canadian.
  14. Mike Sun from Canada writes: David Emerson, David Emerson, David Emerson ... Chinese people will hug you. Another Dr. Norman Bethune has been born.
  15. Ricky for a Centrist Canada from Canada writes:
    "trusted by the people"

    Ask the constituents of Vancouver-Kingsway about that.

    What a joke.
  16. Michael Kirkland from Vancouver, Canada writes: Appropriate. Emerson is about as democratic as China.

    For those unaware, he was elected as a Liberal and switched parties days after the election.

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