A leading China analyst is raising concerns over the absence of any direct mention of China in Ottawa’s new national security strategy, saying the omission may reflect the government’s reluctance to speak critically about Beijing.
University of Ottawa researcher Margaret McCuaig-Johnston said leaving China out of the document, which outlines national security threats such as foreign interference and espionage, appears to be “an indication that the government doesn’t seem to want to mention China in a negative light in any way whatsoever.”
“I think it is interesting that the word China, Russia—those words do not appear in the strategy,” McCuaig-Johnston said on Oct. 29 at an appearance before the House committee on science and research. …