Foreign Affairs committee  One of our concerns, Mr. Chair, is that any increase in the operational frequency of activity, even if these are test flights, raises the risk, in an incredibly busy sea lane and airspace, of accidents of missed communication and the possibility that it could spill into open tensions.

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, in situations where we oppose the use of military force either in international contexts or, for example, in human rights within borders, one option that the Canadian government has developed and deployed in the past has been economic sanctions. This committee would be aware that the Canadian government undertook economic sanctions against China for the first time in the context of our concerns about human rights abuses in Xinjiang last year.

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, I must turn to my colleague Mr. Hamilton for that question.

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, I'll start by replying to that at a high level and then I'll turn to my colleague Mr. Hamilton to see if he wants to add. It's an excellent question. We're in close touch with the like-minded, but we also speak to think tanks, including in Beijing, to understand China's motivations.

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, yes, we have done so through bilateral diplomacy at a working level. At my level we frequently have these conversations with the embassy here, or our embassy in Beijing raises these issues. Most recently, our deputy minister Marta Morgan raised it in a conversation with her counterpart from China.

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, I hope members will understand that I am not in a position to speak on advice to ministers that is under development. I can assure the members of this committee that Canada's one China policy and the way in which Canada has used that policy to navigate both official relations with China in pursuing our interests with the PRC but also unofficial relations with Taiwan, have been marked by a very flexible approach.

Foreign Affairs committee  A moment ago, I was speaking specifically to the flexibility and the long-standing Canadian durability of our one China policy vis-à-vis Taiwan, and how we manage those relations, but with respect to the concerns raised by the honourable member, obviously, all Canadians share deep concern.

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, I don't think it's about my personal views in this regard. We continue to serve the government with advice on how to evolve our approach to China—

Foreign Affairs committee  The government has been on the record a number of times—including in front of the parliamentary committee on China that was enacted before the last Parliament—explaining, at a very high level, that the approach has evolved. We have a new assessment of China. Canada will challenge China where we see it breaking or undermining international rules and principles, and we'll co-operate with China where we're able.

Foreign Affairs committee  I'd be happy to. Canada's one China policy forms the basis of Canada's bilateral official relations with China, but the policy has also allowed us to maintain unofficial but valuable people-to-people ties—trade and investment ties—with Taiwan. At the time of Canada's recognition of the PRC, Canada took note of China's position on Taiwan, neither endorsing nor challenging that position.

Foreign Affairs committee  Let me respond to it in a moment, but I will take the opportunity just to provide an important clarification in response not to this member's question but to the question raised earlier by Mr. Chong. I did not mean to infer or imply, in saying that the Indo-Pacific strategy would be made public, that the entire strategy will or won't be.

Foreign Affairs committee  I'm sorry. The point I would like to make is that the Indo-Pacific strategy will be building upon the foundations of the government's policies, including its feminist international policy.

Foreign Affairs committee  As the government develops a new Indo-Pacific strategy, I want to emphasize that it has not stopped decisions being taken to move forward and work more closely with our partners, not least Japan. You mentioned the free and open Indo-Pacific approach of the Japanese. You will have seen last year and summer that the Canadian government announced further, deeper co-operation with Japan within that framework.

Foreign Affairs committee  I think Canadians will look forward to hearing from the government as it develops an Indo-Pacific strategy, which will address some of those issues as they come forward.

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, I want to be clear. Canada does have a policy, hypothetical or not, and we've been consistent. As we have for 50 years under our one China policy, in calling on both sides to seek to resolve outstanding differences through dialogue and peaceful means with regard to potential future actions taken by one side or the other, we need to respond to events as they evolve and not preclude the possibility for positive outcomes.