The Beaver and the Dragon

Reviews / Votes

Charles Burton is without question one of the world's foremost China specialist. A former colleague, he has spent decades tirelessly warning about China's long game. His analyses often read with the intensity and suspense of a thriller writer. I hold him in the highest regard. -- Nathalie Vogel * Research Fellow, Center for Intermarium Studies * This is a sweeping review of Canada-China dynamics since 2009 during which time Professor Charles Burton has been one of the most prominent international commentators on China. As a China expert for more than fifty years, he has a rich understanding of that nation's history, culture and government which informs his observations on the policies and tactics of its leaders. Over the years, his has been one of the strongest voices on human rights in China. His opinion pieces, reflected in this volume, frequently identify occasions over the years when Canada's governments were less than astute when dealing with Beijing, to our own detriment. Fundamentally, Mr. Burton is fiercely Canadian and his commentary consistently points to those opportunities where we can engage with China -- and those where we must protect our economic and national security. Current and future governments of western democracies would do well to heed his advice. -- Margaret McCuaig-Johnston Few people know more about China, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s operations, and especially the CCP's influence, infiltration, intimidation, espionage and transnational repression campaigns in Canada and beyond than Charles Burton. His new book, aptly titled The Beaver and The Dragon, conveys the sometimes innocent, naive stupidity, and at times wilful blindness, of well-intentioned politicians and government officials in one of the world's much-loved and most peace-loving democracies in response to the audacious, aggressive, ruthless and repressive intrusion of one of the world's most brutal democracies into our supposedly innocent, benign free world. In my own research and advocacy, Charles Burton has been one of my gurus. But now is not the time simply to sit at the feet of gurus. Nor is it the time to kowtow to tyrants. Now is the time to stand up, speak up, and fight back, for our values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, in our own countries and beyond, before it is too late. To equip us to do that, read this book. -- Benedict Rogers What's worse than communists in China? That would be communists trying to infiltrate Canada. In The Beaver and the Dragon, Charles Burton, one of the world's most knowledgeable and perceptive China analysts, explains how the Communist Party of China is eying the northern part of the Western Hemisphere.
Gordon Chang, Author, The Coming Collapse of China Charles Burton was the only academic willing to challenge the deep and subtle Canadian foreign policy consensus about China relations and always thoughtfully. He was one of the first Canadian Scholars to go into China following the normalization of relations in 1970, and always with a fair mind.

He and I encountered each other when he was assigned a contract by the Department of Foreign Affairs to produce a report specifically on the Canada-China human rights dialogue. And I'll allow him to summarize it. But, the headline was essentially he said it was a sham and a fraud, and that it got in the way of substantive, respectful dialogue between the two sides.

Well, the Department tried to bury his report. I was then the chairman of the Human Rights Subcommittee of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons. And so we passed a motion as a committee to force the release of this report, and all hell broke loose, complicated by the fact that I was actually the parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister at the time.

And that was just the beginning of a long and interesting journey that I had with Charles for many years in government.

I want to say that for all of those years, I tried at my best to challenge a consensus that was not operating in the interest of Canada, and I am pleased to say that that view, Charles' view, the view of many of you in this room, has been vindicated, and it's not a happy education, but it's a vindication nevertheless. And I can tell you that the Canadian business community that was speaking with one voice 15 years ago, 10 years ago, maybe even five years ago, suggesting that the only possible Canadian policy vis-a-vis Beijing was when it was a total supplication. On all counts, that is no longer the case because virtually none of those businesses actually made earnings with their operations, most of them if they made the effort there found that their local partners absconded with intellectual property, with copyright, with patent, with sensitive information, with profits, with capital. With no legal recourse, despite the Harper government's best efforts. All of which is to say that it's been a bitter vindication.

But Charles, you've been a voice in the wilderness? You've been a prophet. And you more than anyone in Canada. Is responsible for the fundamental shift from cynicism towards, realism in the Canada China relationship, and I just want to say, as a friend, thank you for that. Thank you. -- Right Honourable Jason Kenney A sharp account of how decades of engagement with China shaped Canada's outlook - and revealed the illusions behind its foreign policy. A must-read for anyone following Canada-China relations.