It has been nearly three years since Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig have been detained by Chinese officials in China. In December 2018, in apparent retaliation for the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, a Huawei telecoms executive, China arrested the two Michaels without charges. What has the Canadian government done to try to secure their release? It appears that the Trudeau government has leaned heavily on its allies, such as the United States and Germany, to put political pressure on China to release the two Michaels; however, this approach has been unsuccessful. Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig remain incarcerated.
It is unlikely that the second largest economy in the world will concede to the indirect pressure that the Trudeau government is attempting. But why would the Canadian government not put direct pressure on China to release the two Michaels? One reason is that Canada is a middle power. As such, it has little influence over the economic giant. Economically, the Trudeau government perceives, Canada needs China, but China does not need Canada. Over the short term, this perspective is accurate; however, over the long term, Canada has greater economic influence than the Trudeau government realizes. Canada is a world leader in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and aerodynamics to name a few. China wants to have access to Canada’s knowledge in these areas. Moreover, Canada is a resource rich nation in minerals, forests, oil, natural gas, water, and agriculture — resources that China requires. Unfortunately, Trudeau’s government has not wielded its strengths in these areas. Instead, Canada has conceded its perceived weakness to the Chinese government, and has left other countries to put political pressure on the Chinese government to release the two Michaels.
But what can Canadian citizens do to help free the two Michaels where the Canadian government has failed? Boycott. Canadians can make a decision to not purchase products or services that Chinese companies produce and provide. Why should Canadians aid the Chinese economy when innocent Canadians are being held as political hostages? By boycotting mainland China’s products and services, Canadian citizens can put pressure on the Chinese government where the Trudeau government has failed.