Canada-China Relations committee  It would seem to me that it is an important concern, although, to be frank, the reality is that any communication by anyone in China, even to a Canadian embassy or a Canadian facility, would probably come to the attention of the Chinese no matter what security you put in place.

Canada-China Relations committee  I think, Mr. Chairman, that's a rather different issue. The Nazi Party is not quite the Communist Party of China. The situation is not entirely comparable. It is much closer to the situation with respect to the boycotting of the Olympics in the Soviet Union. I'm not sure, Mr. Chairman, that it makes sense to make the Olympics the vehicle for objecting to issues with respect to difficulties between ourselves and China.

Canada-China Relations committee  I have seen the comments in the press by some who are responsible who have indicated that they are taking appropriate measures to ensure that no information is available from the systems in Beijing. I am frankly not sure that I would find those positions credible. In reality, that institution or that office functions entirely within the control of the Chinese intelligence services.

Canada-China Relations committee  My view on the subject, frankly, is that the last time we as a country decided not to participate in the Olympics—which was the boycott in the Soviet Union—was really not a success. It did nothing to further the point. Frankly, it was not a success. That should not be taken as a comment with respect to any of the concerns that are expressed about China and China's practices.

Canada-China Relations committee  I think, Mr. Chairman, the approach to reviewing businesses is likely to be an ongoing process. The reality is that it has moved substantially from the first cases that really became an issue with respect to the Chinese acquisition of businesses in Canada. I think it really does require a fairly careful analysis in each case: What are the benefits, what are the costs, and what are the risks to any particular acquisition?

Canada-China Relations committee  Okay. Thank you.

Canada-China Relations committee  Mr. Chairman, I have not put in any written remarks, but I did want to make a few comments before the session begins. First, let me say it's a pleasure to appear before the committee. Some of my views are public on issues such as Huawei and the Meng case, and the detention of the two Michaels, so I won't spend a lot of time dealing with those issues, but I'm happy to answer questions with respect to any of them or on my views with respect to any of them.

Government Operations committee  If you're thinking about the present procurement of Nuctech, the reality is that it's a relatively minor thing. You could add to the security review that was done that they should have looked at the technology of the equipment that was being bought, as well as the two security issues that they did look at.

Government Operations committee  I didn't say that the policy was case-by-case. We need to know what our intentions are vis-à-vis China and what we're prepared to accept and what we're not prepared to accept.

Government Operations committee  I doubt very much whether they were able to sell very much into China.

Government Operations committee  It's case-by-case, but also, as David Mulroney said earlier, we need a policy. We need to know what our policy is with respect to China. Once you know what the policy is, many of the other decisions will fall out from that, together with building a relationship with other countries that allows us to confront China much more clearly than we can now.

Government Operations committee  I think, Mr. Chair, that's probably unrealistic. China is still a trading partner of Canada and is likely to be so into the future. If you were to ask Canadian rapeseed farmers and pork farmers, I suspect they envisage trading with China. Do we need to trade with China a lot more carefully?

Government Operations committee  I think that probably is unrealistic, but again, if you have a policy on what your relationship with China is and it's clearly stated, and you are more careful—

Government Operations committee  Yes. That's exactly right.

Government Operations committee  Yes.