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Canada prods China on Iran

AgentM

Comrade from Canuckistan!
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Canada is publicly prodding China to use its influence to rein in Iran's nuclear-weapon ambitions as worried nations ready tougher sanctions over Tehran's uranium advances.

“I think China should step up to the plate and do something here,” Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said yesterday.

Publicly calling out China – the most recalcitrant player on the Iran file – is never an easy diplomatic move. It's particularly challenging for Canada given the Harper government's recent attempts at rapprochement with Beijing, after years of frosty relations. The Prime Minister visited China in 2009 to repair and rebuild ties.

The challenge for Canada, and other countries, is persuading China to spend political capital with Iran in light of Tehran's decision to move uranium enrichment one step closer to weapons-grade fuel.

Mr. Cannon said China is well placed, “because of its proximity and its close relations with Iran, to play a determining role in convincing Iran to conform to the international community's wishes.”

<snip>

China, which has bucked the sanction trend and instead enlarged trade with Iran, is the only country with measurable influence on Tehran, said Houchang Hassan-Yari, an Iran expert at Royal Military College in Kingston. Two-way commerce is now about $36-billion (U.S.) and China is Iran's largest trading partner.

“The Chinese are using the Iranian isolation in order to capture the market there and it might be difficult for them to bend under pressure,” Prof. Hassan-Yari said.

But Wenran Jiang, a Chinese expert at the University of Alberta, said comments like Mr. Cannon's feed into a growing fear in Beijing that China is being set up to take the blame if Iran can't be persuaded to bow to international pressure.

“In other words, China becomes the scapegoat if the Iran issue isn't moving forward,” Prof. Jiang said.

China doesn't seem keen to do what Canada and other countries are asking. Prof. Jiang said that China disapproves of a hard-line, sanction-driven approach to Iran and feels the West is overstating its economic clout with Tehran.

Canada has been a harsh critic of Iran's nuclear program, its human-rights violations and Mr. Ahmadinejad's anti-Semitic blasts at Israel.

To date, Ottawa has imposed two sets of UN-mandated sanctions against Tehran, including freezing the assets of key figures associated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Ottawa has warned it will do more if needed, in concert with allies.

Canada has signalled it will use the international pulpit it gets as chair of the Group of Eight this year to push for action on Iran. Prime Minister Stephen Harper discussed the matter yesterday with his fellow G8 leader, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

<snip>

Canada presses China on Iran nuclear file - The Globe and Mail

I don't think that China is going to give up all that trade and influence with Iran, despite pressure from the international community. They wouldn't really gain much from doing that.
 
This is where a smart U.S. envoy would quietly talk with China and explain how much prestige they would garner not to make it look as if the were much stronger diplomatically if they would intercede with Iran and put a sure end to their nuclear ambitions.

But that word require Obama to go against his style so far and do the right smart thing.

I know it sounds devious but the result is the objective not the route taken to achieve it.

Besides what's a little egg on the face if you stop a war?

But that's me.
 
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This is where a smart U.S. envoy would quietly talk with China and explain how much prestige they would garner not to make it look as if the were much stronger diplomatically if they would intercede with Iran and put a sure end to their nuclear ambitions.

Why would China give up all that trade and influence with Iran over some prestige? What would prestige with the West give them in actuality compared to what they would lose with Iran? The West already has a massive trade with China and that isn't going away anytime soon. What else do they really need us for?
 
Why would China give up all that trade and influence with Iran over some prestige? What would prestige with the West give them in actuality compared to what they would lose with Iran? The West already has a massive trade with China and that isn't going away anytime soon. What else do they really need us for?

This where the West has China over a barrel, if they want to put her there.

Just quietly tell Chine we are considering a 40% tariff on all goods from China if they don't play ball.... how would that stack up against their trade with Iran? And please, don’t start in on them calling in our debt, that would break them.
 
This where the West has China over a barrel, if they want to put her there.

Just quietly tell Chine we are considering a 40% tariff on all goods from China if they don't play ball.... how would that stack up against their trade with Iran? And please, don’t start in on them calling in our debt, that would break them.

Haha, it's really China who has the West over the barrel. Do you realistically think that we're going to start slapping tariffs on the cheap Chinese goods that we import? What do you think the local business lobbies and consumers would say to that? Not to mention that China is the largest owner of US Treasury Bonds, and Canadian Treasury securities for that matter, and who knows how many other countries! China owns our asses, we can't realistically threaten them because it's not in our economic interest, and they wouldn't let it happen.
 
This where the West has China over a barrel, if they want to put her there.

Just quietly tell Chine we are considering a 40% tariff on all goods from China if they don't play ball.... how would that stack up against their trade with Iran? And please, don’t start in on them calling in our debt, that would break them.

We can't put tariffs on Chinese goods. Walk into any retail store in America and look at the "Made In ....." tags on labels on all of the goods. I'm willing to guess 90% of them will say "Made In China".

If we slap a high tariff on imports we raise the price to the wholesaler. That raises the price to the retailer. And that raises the price to the consumer.

EDIT: Oops. I see AgentM already pretty much said that.
 
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Way ta go Ottawa! Leadership once again returns to NORTH AMERICA.
 
This is where a smart U.S. envoy would quietly talk with China and explain how much prestige they would garner not to make it look as if the were much stronger diplomatically if they would intercede with Iran and put a sure end to their nuclear ambitions.

But that word require Obama to go against his style so far and do the right smart thing.

I know it sounds devious but the result is the objective not the route taken to achieve it.

Besides what's a little egg on the face if you stop a war?

But that's me.

You started from the assumption there was a chance China was going to give up economic gain for prestige.

The Chinese government doesn't care about prestige.

[ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989]Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]


For one thing, in international relations, 'prestige' is only good among friends, of which China has few. But money is always good with everybody.

I think it is impressive you tried to provide a plausible alternative to one of Obama's strategies, however.
 
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Yeah a lot of you are making the assumption that China gives a rats ass what Iran does.
 
This where the West has China over a barrel, if they want to put her there.

Just quietly tell Chine we are considering a 40% tariff on all goods from China if they don't play ball.... how would that stack up against their trade with Iran? And please, don’t start in on them calling in our debt, that would break them.

Correct.

The best way to force China to play ball is to make tariff them into poverty. Let the greedly little bastards feel the heat. Make it very difficult for them to make money and they will play ball.
If they complain, tell them not to worry, the additional tarrifs will be used to pay down our national debt.

Additionally, China (and anybody who fails to help curtail Iran) will become internationally isolated. It's time to make the corrupt assclowns in China pay for their sins.
 
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Yeah a lot of you are making the assumption that China gives a rats ass what Iran does.

When it starts costing the greedy chinese ****holes money; you can bet your ass they will care.
 
Correct.

The best way to force China to play ball is to make tariff them into poverty. Let the greedly little bastards feel the heat. Make it very difficult for them to make money and they will play ball.
If they complain, tell them not to worry, the additional tarrifs will be used to pay down our national debt.

Additionally, China (and anybody who fails to help curtail Iran) will become internationally isolated. It's time to make the corrupt assclowns in China pay for their sins.

What do you think the tarriffs will do on our economy? It'll cripple entire sectors of it.
 
What do you think the tarriffs will do on our economy? It'll cripple entire sectors of it.

A very liberal response if there ever was one.

We have to put a foot in China's ass to make them play ball. There is no other option.
 
A very liberal response if there ever was one.

We have to put a foot in China's ass to make them play ball. There is no other option.

What made it a "liberal response"?
 
A very liberal response if there ever was one.

We have to put a foot in China's ass to make them play ball. There is no other option.

For obvious reasons, this is not gonna happen.
 
Leaders make grand speeches in front of audiences so that the public will hear it. That's what this address is about. This isn't about calling China out, it's about saving face with Canadians. Behind closed doors, the economic policy is upheld and has been sealed for a long time now.

China cares about the status quo. Iran has never threatened China so there's no reason for sanctions, and there is little incentive the West can provide to coerce China into doing it. China holds the cards and they know it.
 
Leaders make grand speeches in front of audiences so that the public will hear it. That's what this address is about. This isn't about calling China out, it's about saving face with Canadians. Behind closed doors, the economic policy is upheld and has been sealed for a long time now.

China cares about the status quo. Iran has never threatened China so there's no reason for sanctions, and there is little incentive the West can provide to coerce China into doing it. China holds the cards and they know it.


Naa...

China can suddenly go out of business if they do not play ball. All that is needed is a good reminder.
 
Naa...

China can suddenly go out of business if they do not play ball. All that is needed is a good reminder.

How do you figure?

Do you think that investors and corporations using the cheap labor in China give a toss about the political situation in Iran? They care about making the most profit. That's what business does. Some of them might bail out on principle, but most won't. Cheap goods that fuel our North American consumerism wouldn't be possible without China.

The relationship is mutually beneficial. If either the U.S. or Chinese markets completely crash, the other country will go under. A reminder to them is just a reminder to ourselves as well.
 
Um.

China, in response to a tariff, would just stop buying up our bonds. The US government would have to start printing money to make up the difference. China would just laugh and start selling off all its holdings of US currency.

We'd really be shooting ourselves in the foot.
 
Um.

China, in response to a tariff, would just stop buying up our bonds. The US government would have to start printing money to make up the difference. China would just laugh and start selling off all its holdings of US currency.

We'd really be shooting ourselves in the foot.

That's only one half. The U.S. is the biggest consumer of Chinese goods, so if we stop buying from them, their economy will tank as well. They're mutually dependent nations, and frankly I think they are in a dangerous tango. No getting out of it now though.
 
Um.

China, in response to a tariff, would just stop buying up our bonds. The US government would have to start printing money to make up the difference. China would just laugh and start selling off all its holdings of US currency.

We'd really be shooting ourselves in the foot.

We would respond by ceasing to purchase the toxic crap produced in their badly run factories. They would then know what it is to be broke.
 
Vader said:
We would respond by ceasing to purchase the toxic crap produced in their badly run factories. They would then know what it is to be broke.

Do you ever actually respond to people's points? Because so far in this thread you haven't done so at all.
 
Do you ever actually respond to people's points? Because so far in this thread you haven't done so at all.

Because he disagrees with them, so they must be unimportant.




Vader, look at it this way. Let's focus on one company. Let's say Wal-Mart goes out of business because of this. Do you think our economy right now could handle Wal-Mart closing down?
 
Because he disagrees with them, so they must be unimportant.


Vader, look at it this way. Let's focus on one company. Let's say Wal-Mart goes out of business because of this. Do you think our economy right now could handle Wal-Mart closing down?

We're not discussing the economy in this country. Stop derailing the conversation.

We're talking about ways of forcing China to knock off their bull****.
 
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