Skip to Content Subscribe My Account Manage My Subscriptions FAQ Newsletters Canada Canadian True Crime Canadian Politics Health World Israel & Middle East Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Comics NP News Quiz New York Times Crossword Horoscopes Modern Life Eating & Drinking Style Sponsored Play for Ontario Travel Travel Canada Travel USA Travel International Cruises Travel Essentials Culture Books Celebrity Movies Music Theatre Television Business Essentials Advice Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Buy Canadian Home Living Outdoor Living Kitchen & Dining Tech Style & Beauty Personal Care Entertainment & Hobbies Gift Guide Travel Guide Deals Savings National Post Store More Sports Hockey Baseball Basketball Football Soccer Golf Tennis Driving Vehicle Research Reviews News Gear Guide Obituaries Place an Obituary Place an In Memoriam Classifieds Place an Ad Celebrations Working Business Ads Archives Healthing Epaper Manage Print Subscription Profile Settings My Subscriptions My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ Newsletters Canada World Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Modern Life Shopping Epaper Manage Print Subscription HomeNP CommentColby Cosh: Canada's secret meeting with the Chinese militaryWhy didn't our bureaucrats want you to know about the Fifth China-Canada Defence Coordination Dialogue last week?Last updated 1 hour ago Chinese President Xi Jinping (3rd-L) and Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney (2nd-R) meet at the Great Hall of the People on January 16, 2026 in Beijing, China. Photo by Vincent Thian/Pool/Getty ImagesSome of you will have noticed a new and slightly shocking example of Canada’s longstanding case of information constipation: namely, the occurrence of Fifth China-Canada Defence Coordination Dialogue, which took place in Ottawa on Friday of last week. If you are hearing about this for the first time, you may have all kinds of questions. Such as “Canada is coordinating its national defence with China’s?” Or “Why are we doing that?” Or “What would this involve exactly?” Or “This is the fifth time?”Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorAnd perhaps the biggest question of all: why hasn’t Canada officially announced that this happened? Because the People’s Republic of China, for its part, managed to put out a press release the day after the conference took place. Apparently representatives of the two countries “had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on international and regional issues of mutual interest, expressed willingness to strengthen practical exchanges and cooperation between the two militaries, and enhanced mutual understanding and trust.”The National Post newsletter that doesn’t hold back, giving readers the unvarnished truth on media, politics and culture.By signing up, you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Right? will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againTo be sure, this paragraph of verbiage tells the Chinese and Canadian publics nothing, but at least the Chinese Ministry of National Defence went to the trouble. One notices how much a literally communist press circular resembles the press releases our own government authorities and corporations routinely emit, when they get around to it …There has been no corresponding public explanation of the talks from the Canadian side, but the Globe and Mail’s star Steve Chase and Canadian Press’s Dylan Robertson, chasing down the Chinese clue, were fed a statement by a spokesman for our defence department. The spokesman was able to confirm that the meeting took place, and that it happened in Ottawa. “As part of ongoing working-level dialogue,” the statement read, “Canadian and Chinese defence officials met on September 4, in support of ongoing military-to-military communications at the functional level.”Which doesn’t add much to what the Chinese said (proactively, without having to be hassled by reporters). It added that “As a matter of longstanding practice, the Government of Canada does not publicize working-level meetings by officials.” Chase was able to find a background source who told him that about 10 Canadian officers and diplomats were present.It is certainly the longstanding practice of Canadian officials to sit on information until it dies of buttock suffocation, but I wonder if this is justifiable or healthy. Actually, scratch that: I don’t wonder. It’s not. No doubt some people will be tempted to make trouble with the Americans about a low-level side chat between the Canadian and Chinese militaries, but look at how the U.S. military handles this stuff. The senior American military commander in the Pacific, Adm. Samuel Paparo, met personally with his People’s Liberation Army counterpart on Canadian soil the day before the China-Canada talks.We know this because U.S. Pacific Command put out a public press release about the meeting. And this American statement, unlike Canada’s privately circulated one, actually explains the purpose of the meeting in plain English words. “The two leaders [Paparo and PLA Gen. Yang Zhibin] discussed the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between senior U.S. and Chinese military leaders to reduce the risk of miscalculation and promote safe and professional conduct between forces.”A sensible American citizen will read those words and think “Well, sure, that makes sense. Perhaps we’re adversaries of China, and they have territorial interests that overlap with ours and those of our key regional allies, but we’ve got to be able to talk to one another and maybe establish basic ground rules in order to prevent unintended conflict and escalatory incidents.” Probably the same kind of thing is true about the China-Canada conference, but why didn’t somebody say so before Canadian were reading about the talks in the South Korean press?Isn’t it more important for Canada to be forthright about this stuff, given that Canada-haters in the U.S. are bound to squawk about it? We have left those people largely free to say whatever crazy nonsense they like without contradiction, haven’t we? And God forbid I mention it, but our Liberal governments have an intermittent 60-year history of smooching up to communist China, and such a government arguably has a special duty to account for a “Defence Coordination Dialogue.”National Post Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.