Canada-China Focus: Occasional News Bulletin for Feb 2nd
 
Canada-China Focus
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Happy Lunar New Year to our subscribers!
Welcome to the Canada-China Focus Occasional News Bulletin.

For the past 18 months, the Canada-China Focus (CCF) project has worked to create a non-partisan and safe space for constructive conversations on Canada-China relations. We recognize that world events can have direct effects on communities, and the CCF plans to continue devoting its activities into the new year towards supporting those affected by anti-Asian racism; building cross-community understanding and solidarities with particular attention to the lessons of history; networking to promote an independent Canadian foreign policy; and, where appropriate, promoting Canada-China cooperation in the areas of labour, health, climate justice, and peace.
We are grateful to our partners and sponsors, the Center for Global Studies at the University of Victoria, and the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute
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Updates from CCF:

The CCF Occasional News Bulleting in getting a revamp!

The primary goal of the CCF occasional news bulletin (ONB) is to share relevant and reliable information to support the general awareness and education of the public (our subscribers). While CCF does not currently have the capacity to provide our own analyses of international events on a regular basis, the ONB strives to promote those of other publishers and organizations that align with our mandate. The second service of the ONB is to keep our subscribers apprised of CCF hosted-events and activities, as well as relevant work of the CCF advisors, such as new publications or recent talks, that supports the exposure of the CCF project. To better fulfill the mandate of CCF, the content of the ONB will be expanded upon to now include the following:

  • News items that raise awareness on the state of anti-Asian racism in Canada.
  • Anti-racist resources.
  • Important news updates on Canada-China relations.
  • (External) analyses on Canadian foreign policy towards Asia/China
  • “Historical Reflections”: history-based events, publications, or learning materials that (may) give food for thought for the current challenges in Canada-China relations, such as on historical instances/trends of anti-Asian racism and resistance or the historical relationship of Canada & China. 

The ONB will also now be released at a reliable time: on the first and third Thursdays of each month, until the end of 2023. Happy reading!
Anti-Asian Racism   Resistance:

CBC: "Anti-racism action plan launches for B.C. K-12 students"

Published: January 24, 2023

"The B.C. government has launched an anti-racism action plan for K-12 students it says will improve the school experience for racialized students, staff and families.
The Ministry of Education and Child Care announced the plan in a statement Tuesday. According to the ministry, the plan will empower students and staff to identify biases and address acts of racism using new incident response guidelines.
It also includes new training for staff that the ministry says will "help them better understand their role in fostering anti-racist school environments."
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The Pie News: "'More must be done' for Chinese students in US"

Published: February 2, 2023
Written by: Viggo Stacey

"Jing Yu‘s study on Chinese International Students‘ Experiences of Racism in Times of Crisis found that Asian students are missing in racial discourse in the US, and that Covid-19, geopolitical tensions with China and anti-Asian racism has put them in a vulnerable situation.
Participants in the survey reported issues from explicit racism, racial ignorance and double alienation, where they face discrimination due to their race as well as their nationality."

 

 

 

VancouverIsAwesome: "New Vancouver police data provides details of 204 anti-Asian hate incidents"

Published: January 16, 2023
Written by: Mike Howell

"While police have regularly publicized the level of hate-motivated incidents since the beginning of the pandemic, with increases at one point reaching 717 per cent year over year, much of that information has been related to high-profile cases.
The new data shows the total number of reported cases of violence, harassment or both towards Asian and East Asian people since March 11, 2020. Verbal and physical assaults against individuals are recorded, along with incidents of racist graffiti and vandalism."

 

 

 

CityNews: "Concern over new COVID-19 restrictions on flights from China could fuel anti-Asian hate"

Published: January 2nd, 2023
Written by: Brandon Rowe

"There is rising concern that Canada‘s renewed COVID-19 restrictions on flights from China could fuel anti-Asian hate, as hate crimes against Asian Canadians have been on the rise since the start of the pandemic.
In July 2020, Statistics Canada released a report that found Asian Canadians faced the largest amount of harassment or attacks based on race, ethnicity or skin colour."
This week on Canada-China Relations:

The Globe and Mail: "Two-thirds of research-grant requests sent to Canadian security agencies rejected"

Published: January 26, 2023
Written by: Joe Friesen

"The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) said it sought advice from federal security agencies on 48 applications for funding under the country‘s research partnership framework, about 4 per cent of all applications.
Of the applications sent for review, 32 were deemed to pose an unacceptable risk or a risk that couldn‘t be appropriately mediated, NSERC said. Two applicants withdrew before receiving a decision.
Only 14 proposals were approved for funding after being referred to the security agencies."
Foreign Policy Analyses:
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Foreign Affairs: "The Problem With Primacy: America‘s Dangerous Quest to Dominate the Pacific"

Published: January 16, 2023
Written by: Van Jackson

"In its policies toward Asia, the United States has long sought to reconcile its unsurpassed military, economic, and rule-setting prowess with a desire for stability. Until recently, this was not hard to accomplish."

 

 

 

Asia Times"McCarthyism 2.0: Kevin hopes to outdo Joseph: Xi Jinping‘s China is fuel for America‘s new campaign against foreign infiltrators"

"Amid signs of another Cold War, the U.S. has a new McCarthy to “cleanse” itself of real and alleged pro-communist officials and influencers. With Russia in decline, further diminished by its disastrous war on Ukraine, the target has shifted to China. Even before his January 7 election as speaker of the House of Representatives, Republican Kevin McCarthy was already a member of America‘s fast-growing anti-China bandwagon."

 

 

 

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Consortium News: "Caitlin Johnstone: US Constantly Provoking China"

"The way the U.S. has been positioning its war machinery around China would have sparked a third world war had the roles been reversed. Nonetheless, talk inside the U.S. empire is all about Chinese 'aggression'." 
More Updates:

Canadian Foreign Policy Journal: Call for Submissions

Canadian Foreign Policy Journal will be running a special issue this year on Canada‘s foreign policy towards the Asia Pacific, with a specific focus on South East Asia. If you are interested in contributing an article (5,000-7,000 words) or commentary (1000-1,500 words) please contact the editor, Dr. David Carment, at DavidCarment@cunet.carleton.ca
 
For details on the submission and peer review process, visit: https://www.tandfonline.com/action/authorSubmission?show=instructions&journalCode=rcfp20
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Historical Reflections:
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Global News: "'He was a remarkable man': Heritage Park honors Chinese-Calgarian grocer with exhibit renaming"

Published: January 13, 2023
Written by: Jill Croteau

"There's been a permanent change to a Heritage Park staple in an effort to be a more inclusive tourist attraction. In collaboration with Chinese-Calgarians, a powerful and significant modification is being unveiled in Gasoline Alley."
Anti-Racism in the Spotlight:

 

 

 

Anti-Racism Resources for Educators: 

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Asian Canadian Perspectives: A Resource for Educators

Published by the Asian Canadian Educators Network, April 2022.
The creation of this resource is a recognition of the compelling need to address diversity in learning resources: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essays, songs, films with the diversity of Canadian students; and the importance of connecting school learning with learners‘ community-embodied knowledge and their lived experiences. 

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Addressing Anti-Asian Racism:
A Resource for Educators

Published by the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario and the Toronto District School Board, December 2020.
Anti-Asian racism is pervasive in our society. The current increase in racist attitudes and behaviors towards Asians and people of Asian descent due to the COVID-19 outbreak has negatively impacted the health, well-being and safety of educators, students, families and communities of Asian descent. This resource offers new learnings and innovative actions to ensure immediate changes in learning environments and partnerships with families and communities.
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Fight Racism in Canada! Educator's Tools

Published by the Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice, 2022.
This learning series includes videos, posters, resources, and a facilitator‘s guide for further learning to help students (Grade 4 and up) learn about racism and how to fight in their communities! A facilitator‘s guide is included for educators and adults to support student learning.

Next newsletter arriving to your inbox:
Thursday, February 16th

Have you enjoyed the work of the Canada-China Focus project this year and want to support next year's activities?

Consider making a tax-deductible donation: 
You can do so by visiting the UVic Giving Webpage, selecting "other" from the drop-down menu, and typing “Canada-China Focus” in the comment box. Contributions are eligible for charitable receipts.
For questions on how to donate, contact Kelly Schaecher at leadershipgiving3@uvic.ca.