Michael Kovrig's Strategic Narratives

China-Canada trade disputes are just one vector in the CCP's power struggle with the West

Beijing’s tariffs are part of a strategy to condition behaviour and define a new hierarchy

22 hrs ago • Michael Kovrig

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Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai found guilty of "foreign collusion" and "sedition"

After 1,800 days in mostly solitary confinement, the iconic voice for free speech faces more years as a political prisoner—unless advocacy and pressure…

Dec 15 • Michael Kovrig

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China Shock 2.0 is coming for your advanced manufacturing

The price of China’s beggar-thy-neighbour growth is deindustrialization for everyone else

Dec 8 • Michael Kovrig

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November 2025

China’s Strategy in the Pacific

Expand presence, encircle emptiness, entice elites, entrench influence, deepen dependence, divert attention, and break the island chains that constrain

Nov 14 • Michael Kovrig

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October 2025

Handling Canada-China relations in an age of weaponized supply chains

If Canada wants to remain a G7 economy, it must approach economic relations with China through the lens of strategic caution, not short-term commercial…

Oct 18 • Vina

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A "Correct" Perception of China

It's not the one the Chinese Communist Party wants you to have. That's why it's crucial to decode what its diplomatic slogans really mean.

Oct 16 • Michael Kovrig

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As Canada's Mark Carney meets China's Li Qiang, it's time for a new strategy

Featuring a guest post by Vina Nadjibulla

Oct 1 • Michael Kovrig

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July 2025

Is it Safe to Visit China?

Exit bans, arbitrary arrests, vague laws, political influence, gruelling prison sentences, secret executions — the risks keep growing.

Jul 30 • Michael Kovrig

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China Secretly Executed Four Canadians. I Explain Why.

How the Chinese Communist Party uses the death penalty for domestic intimidation and diplomatic leverage

Jul 24 • Michael Kovrig

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China-Canada Relations: High Tariffs and Low Trust

Chinese analysts and diplomats say that Canada, under pressure from Trump's tariffs, should tilt toward China. I explain why that would be bad for…

Jul 12 • Michael Kovrig

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