The Panda Whisperer

The first item on the Chinese to do list for Prime Minister Harper seems to have been achieved, that being finishing up the arrangements of a Panda transfer to Calgary and Toronto, complete with the obligatory pictures of cute looking panda's no doubt excited at the prospect of sweating out a Toronto summer or enjoying those non Chinook days in Calgary.

Of course there's much more to be accomplished for the Prime Minister, perhaps making sure that much in the way of video of him shaking hands with as many Chinese officials as possible make their way back to North America, in particular to the US, where the idea of Canada developing a more beneficial trade relationship with China will surely make for part of the news cycle.

Just some collateral fallout from the Keystone pipeline brouhaha, which seems to have become a favourite talking point of Republicans in the US election cycle, it's probably not high on their list of things to keep track of, but no doubt the Prime Minister's trip to China will be of some discussion along the campaign trail.

A piece in the Huffington Post is instructive as to some of the perceptions of the US as Canada seeks out a more enhanced relationship with China.

The visual of Canada changing a trade direction has become a bit of a talking point in the US as can be found through the radio voice of New York City WABC, where host John Batchelor explored some of the dynamics of the Prime Minister's trip on his Wednesday February 8th show (9 PM hour podcast)

As in any trade venture, it's all about the timing, while past Canadian Prime Ministers have made the pilgrimage to Beijing to seek out their own trade deals, past history has shown little in the way of success for Canadian efforts.

This time however, with China seeking a larger share of Canada's resource exports, there seems to be a more pressing urgency to complete some kind of tangible framework of negotiations.

The key focus of this current discussion seemingly petroleum, uranium and other products from deep within Canadian soil.

The question for the Prime Minister is will these deals simply exchange one world super power for another, while still keeping Canadian efforts to mere extraction of the nation's resources,  secondary industries seemingly get left off the negotiating process, with little in the way of value added items in the mix at the moment.

Short term, the Prime Minister's Chinese adventure should provide for some political gain, with one visit he seems to have accomplished more than most Canadian visits in the decades previous, with his trip the mantra that he's a hostage to big American business  now seems to be a tad out dated.

Expanding trade possibilities with China, in the wake of the Keystone pipeline setbacks in the US, charts Canada on a course of self interest, something that doesn't quite match up with the calls of those that don't like the Conservatives, or those that frequently suggest that the Prime Minister wants to siphon off all our resources to the US.

The visit also sends a clear message that Canada is more than willing to explore alternative trade options, especially when current trading partners seem disinclined to make decisions or follow up their negotiations with consistent messages.

In fact, the Americans might be getting a little nervous about the more pro-active trade approach that Canada is taking on the world stage, no longer willing to just be happy to be dedicated to just one market, a  market that seems to take for granted the trade relationship developed over the decades past.

Though we imagine, that while the negotiations with China and any other subsequent negotiations elsewhere in the Asian basin may prove to be beneficial, the idea that it signals a complete abandonment of the continental trade process already in place in North America probably is something that just isn't on anyones agenda.

Still the focus on the extraction of raw resources, wherever they are destined to be delivered is perhaps the larger issue for Canada.

The longer term problem for the Prime Minister, could be the idea that the country is just destined to be a landscape ripe for exploitation, with little in the way of making the best of our own resources.

Trade of course is the lifeblood of any country, but refineries, processing plants and exchanging finished lumber products for raw log exports are just a few of the things that Canadians might wish to explore when it comes to the resources of the country.

They provide for enhanced employment prospects and make better use of a resource sector and when you seem to be holding the bulk of the cards in what the world wants from you, some of the terms of discussion perhaps should be non-negotiable.

Some of the background and reviews of the Prime Ministers Chinese visit can be found below.

Globe and Mail-- Canada back on the Chinese radar
Globe and Mail-- Harper hails 'strategic importance' of China deal
National Post-- China and Canada set for free trade talks as Harper pens multi billion-dollar deals
National Post-- Oil sales, human rights (and pandas) on Stephen Harper's China agenda
CTV-- Canada and China set table for possible free trade talks
CBC-- Harper China delegation includes oil, banking executives
CBC-- 7 big topics for Harper's China trip
CBC-- 10 Canada-China deals: one big one and 'blizzard'
Toronto Star-- Harper in China: Team Canada without the label
Toronto Star-- Harper in China: Juggling oil sales and core principles
Toronto Sun-- Harper's focus on economy wins praise from Chinese hosts
Macleans--Harper in China: Beyond the sea of troubles