加国能借助大陆海外华裔力量推进中国民主进程？

要想改变中国的最有效方法不是通过政府间的沟通与交流，而是借助于老百姓之间的联系和互动。据《环球邮报》的一篇观点文章称，在今天中加两国处于政治危机关头，加国要想获得主导地位，就应将老百姓之间的这种互动视为两国外交关系的重要组成部分。《环邮》一文着重分析了当今在国际上相对孤立的加拿大应如何保护其国家利益和外交政治地位。

The only effective way to reach out to totalitarian-leaning countries like China is not through government-to-government links but citizen-to-citizen links. Making those links a permanent part of foreign relations, especially during political crises, would be a winning approach for Canada, says a Globe and Mail opinion article on how Canada to protect its national interest in a world without allies.



该文揭示了加国在推进其民主价值观的进程中所面临的困境。近年来，加国为与中国专制政府达成共识而竭诚努力，但成效甚微。在中国政府早期提出与加国建立引渡条约，且习近平修宪称帝后，加国对将中国逐渐转变为民主社会的希望彻底破灭。孟晚舟的被捕让中加政治外交关系恶化，然而在一个强权和嚣张的中国面前，加国却没有得到西方盟友的支持。随着美国民粹运动风涌云起，专制政权在全球不断兴风作浪，加拿大在国际上地位急转直下，并处于日益孤立的地位。

The article sheds light on how Canada finds itself between a lockup and hard place with China as it tries to advance its Liberal democratic values.  Its efforts to find common ground with the totalitarian dictatorship has proved fruitless. After China’s initial demand for an extradition treaty with Canada and Xi’s claim for a permanent president, Canada’s hope for China’s gradual transitioning into a democratic country crushed. Meng Wanzhou’s arrest has deteriorated Canada’s relationship with China, creating a diplomatic and political crisis. However, in facing an abusive totalitarian regime and an emboldened China, Canada gained little support from its Western allies. With the US leading the national-populist movements and with authoritarian tide sweeping across the globe, Canada finds itself alone in the world.



文章称，解决两国政府间关系紧张，僵持不下之对立状况的最佳办法就是避免政府间的进一步交锋，而是借助于两国人民间所建立的友情桥梁。但联邦保守党和自由党政府却双双均将关系颠倒。“他们为了获得少数族裔选民的支持，一味地和中国人领导拉关系，又是照相又是留影，不管这些照片多令人作呕。”

The article suggests that an effective way to solve the escalating crisis with China is by skipping the government and going for the people. Both Conservative and Liberal governments have generally got this relationship backward, it says: “They’ve pursued friendly photo-op relationships with these countries’ leaders, no matter how distasteful they may be, in hopes of gaining votes from ethnic communities.”



该文称，“作为一个多元文化的国家，加拿大有着两百万的华裔人士，他们都与中国有着千丝万缕的联系。通过发挥他们的文化优势，并借助他们与中国老百姓的感情纽带，可以达到改变中国领导层，迫使中国向民主社会转化的目的。”

 “As a country of diasporas, Canada has two million citizens with family ties to China, and by drawing upon the cultural knowledge and connections of Chinese citizens and their families, they can help change the leadership of homelands that have gone wrong,” says the article.

但是这个建议的可行性难以令人信服。目前，华文社交媒体平台微信在建立海外华人和国内亲友和家人关系方面发挥着重要作用。然而，随着中国信息审查机制触角伸向微信平台的 每一个角落，所有政治敏感信息都遭到屏蔽或被删除。

However, it is an implausible suggestion that cannot bear scrutiny. Currently, WeChat, the social media platform, has played an essential role in building ties between overseas Chinese with their friends and families in China. However, as the Chinese censorship machine reaches every corner of the platform, any sensitive political information is blocked or deleted.



中共的信息审查机制在六四纪念日更加疯狂，那些会引起中国政府不满的关键字和图像，甚至在发帖者毫不知晓的情况下遭到封锁，屏蔽，根本无法进入大陆读者群的视野。尽管国际社会对此谴责之声此起彼伏，中国独裁政府却无意停止审查运作，并声称这种审查是为保护和捍卫中国的“网络主权”，并将这一手段作为成功典范向其他专制国家推广。

The censorship machine has gone into the highest gear during the 30th anniversary of Tiananmen Square. Keywords or pictures raising eyebrows of the authority has become invisible to the group members in China, even without senders’ knowledge. Despite condemnations from the international community, the Chinese government has no intention to stop, claiming the censorship practices are crucial to the country’s “internet sovereignty” and promoting it as a model for other authoritarian governments to follow. 



随着中国专制政府进一步系统强化其控制并向海外扩张其影响力，许多持不同政见的大陆海外华裔被迫三缄其口，保持沉默。据人权机构观察中国的研究员王雅琪（音译）表示，那些对中国践踏人权现象极为不满的人士也不愿公开站出来对中国政府进行抨击，他们担心如此一来不仅会失去工作机会，也会影响国内亲友的生命安全。 拒不屈服中国政府压力的，包括本报在内的不多几家加国的华裔新闻媒体遭到华人社区内各类商家的经济制裁，它们在中国政府要求下拒绝在这些报刊上刊登广告。

As intolerant China tightens its controls and expands its influence overseas, many Chinese Canadians holding opposing political opinions feel compelled to hold their tongues. According to Yaqui Wang, a China researcher at Human Right Watch, those who are outraged by the human rights abuse in their native country are reluctant to be critical about China, worrying that it will hurt their job prospects and business opportunities and fearing for the safety of their family members in China. A few Canadian based news outlets that refuse to bend to the communist party’s pressure – this paper included, face advertising boycott from the local business community, which is demanded by the Chinese government.

在200多万大陆移民被迫沉默，少数敢于执言者又被捆住手脚的今天，期望在加国华裔群体协助下推翻大陆统治阶层简直是不切实际的幻想。维权人士呼吁加国政府采取措施以解除大陆移民对中国政府的恐惧。没有加国政府的干预，通过海外侨民向中国传播民主只能是一句空话。

With most of two million Chinese immigrants living in silence and the few bold activists’ hands tied and voice gagged, expecting Canadian Chinese diaspora to help change the leadership in their home country is delusional. Rights activists call for Canadian authorities’ action and address immigrants’ fears. Without Canadian leaders’ intervention, transmitting democracy to China through citizens is empty talk.