Givingthe Lai

　　遣返賴昌星

　　JOHNBAIRD, Canadas foreign minister, insists therewasno hidden political hand behind his governmentsdeportation on July 23rd ofLai Changxing to Beijing,where he was promptly arrested on charges relating toa multi-billion dollar smuggling ringwhich acted there with apparent officialconnivance in the 1990s. The Chinese authorities havebeen pressing Canada tohand over Mr Lai since 1999. The decision to do so, says Mr Baird,was takenfreely by an independent judiciary and we wouldnt and couldnt intervene.

　　加拿大外交部長John Baird，堅持認為加拿大政府對賴昌星的遣返背后沒有政治操控。作為發生在九十年代的這場顯然得到官方默許的數十億美金走私大案的參與者，賴昌星7月 23號一到北京就立即被捕。中國當局從1999年開始就開始為賴昌星遣返而向加拿大施壓。遣返的決定，Baird 先生說，是由法官獨立作出的，我們不想也不能干預。

　　On theface of things, that is true. The federal court order of July 21st capped along legal battlebetween Mr Lai and the immigration authorities that began inJune 2000, when Canada decidedhe was not a legitimate refugee and issued adeportation order. His deportation came only afterhe exhausted every avenue ofappeal, of which there were many.

　　從表面上看，事實的確如此。聯邦法院7月21號作出的這個決定是賴昌星和移民局漫長司法斗爭的結果。早在2000年6月加拿大方面就已經拒絕賴昌星的難民申請并且啟動了遣返程序。賴昌星曾經多次上訴，而每次上訴均被駁回，至此遣返才生效。

　　But digdeeper and the hidden hand appears. Both the immigration official who lastreviewed thecase and the judge based their decisions on assurances sought andreceived by the governmentthat Mr Lai would not be tortured, subjected tocruel and unusual punishment or killed if hewere sent back.

　　但是如果繼續深究就會發現隱藏的幕后推手。無論最后審核案件的移民局的官員還是法官都是基于政府的保證才做出的決定，即賴昌星被遣返之后不會受到刑訊、非常規的懲罰或者被判死刑。

　　GivingChina the benefit of the doubt on human rights is a relative novelty forStephen HarpersConservative government. Shortly after he won office in 2006,Mr Harper pledged that Canadawould not sell out in talking about humanrights with China. His first foreign minister accusedChina of industrialespionage. When Mr Harper visited China in 2009, his hosts chided himforwaiting almost four years before coming.

　　在人權問題上對中國讓步的做法對于Stephen Harper 保守派政府來說還是很新鮮。在2006年上臺之后不久， Harper就承諾加拿大對中國的人權問題不會妥協。他的第一任外交大臣曾指責中國的商業間諜。當Harper2009年訪問中國的時候，接待方曾責備他等了四年才來。

　　Thatvisit marked the start of a courtship. China is afriend and important ally,Mr Baird said when hevisited the country this month. Though he stressedthathe could not interfere in Mr Lais case, he addedthat the Canadian people andthe Chinese peopledont have a lot of time for white-collar fraudsters.

　　那次訪問是加拿大向中國示好的一個開始。Baird上過月訪問中國的時候稱其為朋友和戰略伙伴。盡管他強調自己不會干預賴昌星的案子，但他還補充說加拿大和中國人民都不愿意在白領騙子身上浪費太多的時間。

　　Thischange of tune owes much to Canadas searchfor new export markets tocompensate for the stagnation of its main economic partner, theUnited States.Chinas share of Canadian exports has almost doubled in the past fiveyears. China has become animportant marketfor Canadian fuels and softwood lumber. Investment by Chinesestate companies, once reviled,is now welcomed. This month a Chinese oilcompany bought OPTI Canada, an ailing tar-sandsproducer, for C$2.1 billion.

　　這個態度上的轉變很大程度上是由于加拿大在尋找新的出口市場以彌補其主要經濟伙伴，美國的不景氣。在過去五年里，中國占加拿大出口的份額翻了一番。中國已經成為了加拿大的燃料和軟木材的主要市場。而加拿大對中國國企的投資的態度也由指責變為了歡迎。這個月一中國石油公司以21億加元的價格收購了加拿大一家不景氣的含油砂生產廠OPIT Canada。

　　Likeothers, Canada also sees ties with China as a potential source of leverage withthe UnitedStates. There is a real sense in Canada now that the Americans takeus for granted and thatCanada has to strengthen relations with China in orderto get more respect in the US, saysDavid Emerson, a former foreign ministerwho is now a consultant. Delays by the AmericanStateDepartment in granting approval for a cross-border pipeline to carry crudefrom the tarsands to the Gulf Coast have prompted calls for apipeline from Alberta to the west coast, forshipment to China.

　　與其他國家一樣，加拿大也把與中國的緊密聯系看作是潛在的制約美國的資本。加拿大的普遍看法是，美國并不重視我們，因此加拿大需要強化跟中國的關系以從美國那里獲取更多的尊重作為顧問的前外交部長DavidEmerson說道。美國國務院推遲批準了一條將含油砂中提取的原油運送到墨西哥灣的跨國境輸油管道，這在客觀上增加了對另一輸油管道的需要，該管道從Alberta到西海岸，以方便原油向中國的運輸。

　　MrBaird says the push for business does not mean Canada has abandoned its concernaboutChinas record on human rights. But when provincial leaders join thefederal government for atrade mission to China next year, the topic isunlikely to feature on the agenda. Judging fromthe rapturous official responsein China to the deportation of Mr Lai, the mission is likely to geta warm welcome.

　　Baird稱商業上的壓力并不意味著加拿大放棄了對中國人權紀錄的擔憂。但是如果明年加入聯邦政府的地方領導人以與中國之間的貿易為目標，那么相關內容恐怕將不得不被提上議程。從中國官方對賴昌星遣返的欣喜態度上來看，這些目標很可能被熱烈歡迎。

　　Givingthe Lai

　　遣返賴昌星

　　JOHNBAIRD, Canadas foreign minister, insists therewasno hidden political hand behind his governmentsdeportation on July 23rd ofLai Changxing to Beijing,where he was promptly arrested on charges relating toa multi-billion dollar smuggling ringwhich acted there with apparent officialconnivance in the 1990s. The Chinese authorities havebeen pressing Canada tohand over Mr Lai since 1999. The decision to do so, says Mr Baird,was takenfreely by an independent judiciary and we wouldnt and couldnt intervene.

　　加拿大外交部長John Baird，堅持認為加拿大政府對賴昌星的遣返背后沒有政治操控。作為發生在九十年代的這場顯然得到官方默許的數十億美金走私大案的參與者，賴昌星7月 23號一到北京就立即被捕。中國當局從1999年開始就開始為賴昌星遣返而向加拿大施壓。遣返的決定，Baird 先生說，是由法官獨立作出的，我們不想也不能干預。

　　On theface of things, that is true. The federal court order of July 21st capped along legal battlebetween Mr Lai and the immigration authorities that began inJune 2000, when Canada decidedhe was not a legitimate refugee and issued adeportation order. His deportation came only afterhe exhausted every avenue ofappeal, of which there were many.

　　從表面上看，事實的確如此。聯邦法院7月21號作出的這個決定是賴昌星和移民局漫長司法斗爭的結果。早在2000年6月加拿大方面就已經拒絕賴昌星的難民申請并且啟動了遣返程序。賴昌星曾經多次上訴，而每次上訴均被駁回，至此遣返才生效。

　　But digdeeper and the hidden hand appears. Both the immigration official who lastreviewed thecase and the judge based their decisions on assurances sought andreceived by the governmentthat Mr Lai would not be tortured, subjected tocruel and unusual punishment or killed if hewere sent back.

　　但是如果繼續深究就會發現隱藏的幕后推手。無論最后審核案件的移民局的官員還是法官都是基于政府的保證才做出的決定，即賴昌星被遣返之后不會受到刑訊、非常規的懲罰或者被判死刑。

　　GivingChina the benefit of the doubt on human rights is a relative novelty forStephen HarpersConservative government. Shortly after he won office in 2006,Mr Harper pledged that Canadawould not sell out in talking about humanrights with China. His first foreign minister accusedChina of industrialespionage. When Mr Harper visited China in 2009, his hosts chided himforwaiting almost four years before coming.

　　在人權問題上對中國讓步的做法對于Stephen Harper 保守派政府來說還是很新鮮。在2006年上臺之后不久， Harper就承諾加拿大對中國的人權問題不會妥協。他的第一任外交大臣曾指責中國的商業間諜。當Harper2009年訪問中國的時候，接待方曾責備他等了四年才來。

　　Thatvisit marked the start of a courtship. China is afriend and important ally,Mr Baird said when hevisited the country this month. Though he stressedthathe could not interfere in Mr Lais case, he addedthat the Canadian people andthe Chinese peopledont have a lot of time for white-collar fraudsters.

　　那次訪問是加拿大向中國示好的一個開始。Baird上過月訪問中國的時候稱其為朋友和戰略伙伴。盡管他強調自己不會干預賴昌星的案子，但他還補充說加拿大和中國人民都不愿意在白領騙子身上浪費太多的時間。

　　Thischange of tune owes much to Canadas searchfor new export markets tocompensate for the stagnation of its main economic partner, theUnited States.Chinas share of Canadian exports has almost doubled in the past fiveyears. China has become animportant marketfor Canadian fuels and softwood lumber. Investment by Chinesestate companies, once reviled,is now welcomed. This month a Chinese oilcompany bought OPTI Canada, an ailing tar-sandsproducer, for C$2.1 billion.

　　這個態度上的轉變很大程度上是由于加拿大在尋找新的出口市場以彌補其主要經濟伙伴，美國的不景氣。在過去五年里，中國占加拿大出口的份額翻了一番。中國已經成為了加拿大的燃料和軟木材的主要市場。而加拿大對中國國企的投資的態度也由指責變為了歡迎。這個月一中國石油公司以21億加元的價格收購了加拿大一家不景氣的含油砂生產廠OPIT Canada。

　　Likeothers, Canada also sees ties with China as a potential source of leverage withthe UnitedStates. There is a real sense in Canada now that the Americans takeus for granted and thatCanada has to strengthen relations with China in orderto get more respect in the US, saysDavid Emerson, a former foreign ministerwho is now a consultant. Delays by the AmericanStateDepartment in granting approval for a cross-border pipeline to carry crudefrom the tarsands to the Gulf Coast have prompted calls for apipeline from Alberta to the west coast, forshipment to China.

　　與其他國家一樣，加拿大也把與中國的緊密聯系看作是潛在的制約美國的資本。加拿大的普遍看法是，美國并不重視我們，因此加拿大需要強化跟中國的關系以從美國那里獲取更多的尊重作為顧問的前外交部長DavidEmerson說道。美國國務院推遲批準了一條將含油砂中提取的原油運送到墨西哥灣的跨國境輸油管道，這在客觀上增加了對另一輸油管道的需要，該管道從Alberta到西海岸，以方便原油向中國的運輸。

　　MrBaird says the push for business does not mean Canada has abandoned its concernaboutChinas record on human rights. But when provincial leaders join thefederal government for atrade mission to China next year, the topic isunlikely to feature on the agenda. Judging fromthe rapturous official responsein China to the deportation of Mr Lai, the mission is likely to geta warm welcome.

　　Baird稱商業上的壓力并不意味著加拿大放棄了對中國人權紀錄的擔憂。但是如果明年加入聯邦政府的地方領導人以與中國之間的貿易為目標，那么相關內容恐怕將不得不被提上議程。從中國官方對賴昌星遣返的欣喜態度上來看，這些目標很可能被熱烈歡迎。