As Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (
Wen arrived Wednesday. His three-day Canadian visit follows a trip to Washington, where US President George W. Bush told him what he wanted to hear: that the US opposes any unilateral steps by Taiwan toward independence.
Wen was scheduled to meet retiring Prime Minister Jean Chretien on his last full working day yesterday before meeting Chretien's successor, Paul Martin, later in the day. Martin replaces Chretien on Friday.
Amnesty International, the Canada Tibet Committee, a group promoting Tibetan autonomy, and the Falun Gong spiritual movement, which is banned in China, said they would rally at Wen's appearances in the capital.
Jason Wan, spokesman for the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada, said he hoped Canada's support for democracy in the world would not bypass Taiwan.
"We hope that the Canadian prime minister will urge China to respect the democratic rights of the Taiwanese people," Wan said.
Canada has a "one China" policy and does not formally recognize Taiwan. Ottawa gives more government aid to Beijing than anywhere else, including US$46 million in 2001-2002, a government official said.
Trade tops the visit's agenda, with Chretien and Wen set to sign nine agreements, including provisions for wheat and livestock sales.
China is Canada's third-largest trading partner after the US and Japan. Canadian exports to China jumped from US$2 billion in 1999 to US$3 billion last year.
After the Chinese communist revolution in 1949, the new regime under Mao Zedong (毛澤東) annexed the mountainous region of Tibet and its 6 million people.
Ottawa's Tibet policy follows the one-China approach. Canada, which is home to about 3,000 Tibetans, does not recognize Tibet's government in exile led by the Dalai Lama.
Thubten Samdup, president of the Canada Tibet Committee, wants Ottawa to act as a middleman to peacefully negotiate Tibetan autonomy.
"We would like to see Canada act the role of an honest broker at an international conference," Samdup said.
Amnesty International said it wanted to highlight China's poor human rights record under Wen, especially an increase in executions.
"If he's really serious about wanting to improve the human rights situation in China then he'll listen to these things and then go home and perhaps do something about it," said Carole Channer, who monitors China for Amnesty International Canada.
Jason Loftus, a promoter of the Falun Gong, said he hoped Ottawa would "give a message to the premier while he's here, which is that these are problems that you have to address."
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