Reluctant Adversaries: Canada and the People's Republic of China, 1949-1970

Lawrence T. Woods is an assistant professor of political science at
Bishop’s University in Lennoxville, Quebec.

“We shall be looking at our policy in relation to China in the context
of a new interest in Pacific affairs generally”: Pierre Trudeau’s
words capture nicely the raison d’кtre of this fine collection of
essays. Although the book is intended primarily as a historical record,
the editors correctly sense that their contributors’ observations
about “solving our Cold War China problem” can also tell us much
about Canada’s past and present steps toward becoming a Pacific
nation.

Superbly researched, the papers presented here are divided into four
categories: the origins of the Canada-China relationship (Peter Mitchell
on missionary involvement); policy problems (Stephen Beecroft on early
attempts to resolve the recognition question, Don Page on managing the
PRC’s entry into the United Nations, and Norman St. Amour on the
American influence); policy-makers (John English on Lester Pearson,
Brian Evans on Chester Ronning, and Patrick Kyba on Alvin Hamilton); and
the decision to recognize the PRC (B. Michael Frolic on the Trudeau
initiative, Janet Lum on the reaction of the Toronto Chinese community,
and Arthur Andrew on the diplomatic context).

Anyone who wishes to understand the interaction between Canada and
China through 1970 and beyond must read this book. This is especially
true in 1992 as we continue to grapple with the Tiananmen Square
massacre and another attempt by the PRC to “return to the world
political stage.” The problems posed by China and “the Chinas”
remain. This volume will also aid scholars of Canadian foreign
policy-making, bureaucratic politics, Canada’s role in the U.N.,
and—most importantly—our broader Pacific relations. Readers would be
hard-pressed to find a work that bridges the often-overlooked nexus
between international relations and Canadian domestic politics more
effectively.