APF Canada President and CEO Stewart Beck joins the Foundation's Vice-President Research, Dr. Jeff Reeves, in special Asia Watch: Beyond the Headlines segment on Canada's participation in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics amid a rising international call for a boycott of the Games over allegations that China systematically violates human rights and undermines democracy through its policies in Xinjiang, Tibet, Inner Mongolia, and Hong Kong.
Jeff riffs on his recent op-ed in the Globe and Mail, "Politicizing the Beijing Olympics won’t help the West achieve its broader goals," in which he examined the highly public and fundamental dilemma facing the Biden administration as it tries to balance a “values-driven” policy approach to the question of the Beijing Olympics and an “interest-driven” one – a dilemma Jeff argues Canada would do better to avoid.
Exploring the concept of boycott diplomacy and its tendency to foster strategic distrust that leads to a further deterioration in state relations and a breakdown in communication and co-operation on broader political issues, Jeff argues that Canada should participate and not politicize the Beijing 2022 Games, explaining what Canada stands to gain or lose in taking either path in the context of its current terse relations with China.
Listen to this episode of Asia Watch: Beyond the Headlines for a deeper understanding of an issue that is sure to grab headlines and stir discord in the lead-up to 2022.
