Canada-China Relations committee  Thank you for your question. As you pointed out, stability is fundamental today, since any conflict in the Taiwan Strait would have considerable consequences, exceeding by far the already tragic consequences of the war in Ukraine. There are several ways to contribute to maintaining this status quo and, most importantly, to making the Chinese authorities understand, and convincing them, that any unilateral change to the status quo in the strait accomplished by force would not only be risky, but would come at too high a cost for Beijing.

Canada-China Relations committee  Thank you for the question. The visit by Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi was obviously exploited by Beijing and used as a pretext. There are several reasons for that. First, Beijing was prepared for the visit, which was to have taken place in the spring of 2022 and was postponed because the Speaker had COVID‑19.

Canada-China Relations committee  Thank you for your question. I think the risk lies in engaging in purely binary reasoning, in connection with the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine, and thinking that the only possible option in the strait is either a form of precarious peace or a large-scale invasion by China.

Canada-China Relations committee  Good evening. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Ladies and gentlemen, members of the House of Commons Special Committee on the Canada–People's Republic of China Relationship, it is an honour and a responsibility to speak to you. As well, with the 18th Francophonie Summit taking place this weekend in Tunisia, it is obviously a pleasure to be able to speak in French.