I made the call to rethink like-mindedness in a particular sense. It is important for Canada to think of its interests and of countries that share particular interests, in a broad sense. This means looking for other countries that value sovereignty, agency and a predictable international framework and order, especially on trade. There are a number of partners in Southeast Asia that are not fully autocratic or fully democratic that share those values. I see a lot of opportunity to connect with those countries on those particular fronts.
On the China question, I take cues from Southeast Asia, which has a long history of and a lot of experience dealing with their regional giant. What we find consistently in a number of academic studies that assess elite preferences and perspectives in Southeast Asia on China is a recognition that China is a strategically vital country that deeply affects the interests of those countries, and that it has a substantial trust deficit vis-à-vis many other countries. There is very little trust that China will do the right thing on a number of fronts.
Of course, this has caused friction with virtually every country in Southeast Asia. The Philippines is the most obvious example with the South China Sea, but all other countries in the region have their versions of this. Where they differ is in the response. The Philippines has been very vocal and very public about its disagreements with China. Other countries have handled those disagreements in quieter ways without using a megaphone.
I am not sure it is as simple as saying that one country got it right and another country got it wrong. I think all countries are figuring out how to work with and respond to a rising China.