Although Canada already has a strategy in place that aims to expand military, security, trade and diplomatic ties with nations in the Asia-Pacific region to counterbalance China, it is reportedly also seeking to create a cooperation framework with Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States to that end.

▲ Flags of Canada and China, file photo. [Photo/IC]

The idea was conveyed directly to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida when he visited Ottawa in January, Kyodo News reported on Monday, quoting diplomatic sources.

Regardless of how viable the plan is — Japan has already told the Canadian government that it would take time to realize the concept — that Canada is taking an increasingly confrontational stance against China exposes Ottawa's Cold War mentality.

The upshot of this is Ottawa has an erroneous perception of China and is ready to support Washington's anti-China strategy as part of its efforts to "push back against any unilateral actions that threaten the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, as well as the East China Sea and the South China Sea", as the strategy document released by the Justin Trudeau government in November said.

Such a perception is by no means the "clear-eyed assessment of today's China" that Canada claims.

China has never been a threat to Canada or international peace, security and development as Ottawa wrongly perceives. In fact, despite the worsening of bilateral relations in recent years, China remains one of the most important trading partners of Canada, with Canadian exports to China in 2021 exceeding those to Japan, the ROK and India combined, and imports from China equaling those from the European Union and overshadowing imports from all other countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

It is Ottawa's blind obedience in toeing Washington's anti-China line that is sabotaging the once friendly Sino-Canadian ties.

To contain the growing influence of China in the region, the US has already reactivated the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, that groups it with Japan, India and Australia; and established AUKUS, a new security and defense partnership with Australia and the United Kingdom. That Canada has been left out of both security structures, despite being a member of the Anglo-Saxon club, may explain the eagerness with which it is now trying to ingratiate itself with the US by antagonizing China.

Ottawa should work to correct its wrong perception of China before it is too late.