A Canadian poll shows that more than half of the country’s population views China as its greatest security threat; most believe that a global war of attrition has begun involving communist countries that are disrupting and dismantling the sovereignty and political systems of other countries in various ways.
The survey was conducted by Maru, a research organization, among 1,506 randomly selected Canadian adults. The results showed that 52 percent of respondents viewed China as the greatest security threat, followed by Russia (42 percent), North Korea (39 percent) and Iran (33 percent). Another 55% of respondents believe that a global war of attrition is already underway with communist countries, which are using a variety of activities to undermine the sovereignty and political systems of other countries and are responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of people.
The survey comes against a backdrop of deteriorating relations between Canada and China, the unjustified detention of two Canadian citizens by China, and a trade war between the two countries, among other pressures that have heightened Canadian public concern about threats from China, including the security risks posed by huawei‘s establishment of a 5G network there.
John Wright, executive vice president of Maru, said the results show that the Canadian public is increasingly cautious about China and that relations between the two countries remain tense, “and that the public has come to this conclusion based on what they have seen and heard without looking at defence strategy and political scrutiny. Therefore, regardless of the message conveyed by the government or the Department of Foreign Affairs, the public has made a full decision that China is a significant risk to Canada’s security.”
Wright continued that respondents may be aware of the “attacks” on cybersecurity in China in recent years and that under Xi Jinping, the Chinese government is expanding its economic and political influence around the world, leading to a long-standing battle between the U.S. and China over trade and cyber attacks. By “attacks,” the poll does not mean a world war, but rather that these types of “attacks” are ongoing and pervasive, and could undermine national security.
The poll also shows that even if the public does not fully consider factors such as economic and political implications, they still desire a more positive attitude toward China from the Canadian government. Erin O’Toole, leader of the Canadian Conservative opposition, said the authorities need to take a tougher stance on China, including sanctions against some Chinese officials, but his suggestions do not seem to change the direction of relations between the two countries.
On the other hand, the survey noted that 84 percent of respondents believe that the development of artificial intelligence technology has escalated cybersecurity threats by a factor of one. 78 percent of respondents said that Canada’s national security could be unsettled by foreign threats in the next five years.
Charles Burton, a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, said the Canadian public has become more acutely aware of cybersecurity threats with Huawei’s proposal to build a 5G network in Canada; but even with warnings from security experts, the Liberal government is still reluctant to ban Huawei from Canada from installing its technology.
He argues that the Chinese cyber threat has emerged, particularly in the area of commercial espionage, with fears that Communist spies are stealing sensitive local information to enhance the competitive advantage of Chinese companies, and that “due to the integrated nature of the Chinese regime, companies can use state-provided information to unfairly increase their economic competitiveness.”
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