Editorial cartoon by Brian Gable/The Globe and MailThe Globe and Mail
China's ambush of the Prime Minister yesterday provoked a feeding frenzy among Harper-haters not seen since the opposition parties hatched their plan to remove him from office without having to bother with an election. However, I suspect that most Canadians will again support the way he handled the situation, and that support will grow over time as the dividends of his visit to China come home.
Placed in a difficult situation, Mr. Harper could have responded, as a former Globe and Mail China correspondent wishes he had, "60 years is too long to wait for human rights in China, 50 years is too long for the Dalai Lama to remain in exile, 20 years is too long for Chinese leaders to remain silent about the terrible bloodshed at Tiananmen Square, and three years in prison is three years too many for the courageous Hu Jia, who had the audacity to post an anti-Olympics petition on the Internet."
However, despite being caught unawares on camera, Mr. Harper took the unprecedented public remonstration coolly. And, by noting that visiting was a two-way street, he injected just the right comeback to safeguard the overriding objective of strengthening the relationship while preserving Canada's national honour, which, as Andrew Coyne observes, was the real target of Mr. Wen's intervention.
We already knew that Mr. Harper does not do the kind of humiliating deep bow that President Barack Obama did when meeting Japan's Emperor. Now, after his meeting with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, we also know that our Prime Minister is not inclined to kowtow to the leaders of powerful nations. All of which bodes well for our national interests at the Copenhagen climate-change conference, where another ambush of Canada and the Prime Minister has been set up. And where another feeding frenzy among Harper-haters can be anticipated as reports from Denmark filter home about who's to blame for the failure to agree on a new international treaty.
(Editorial cartoon by Brian Gable/The Globe and Mail)