Barton appeared conscious of the need to make some repairs to the impression he left in February, when his testimony drew unusually direct criticism from former diplomats with experience working in China.
Back then, Barton suggested that it was incumbent upon Canadians to recognize that “China values unity and the needs of society at large, rather than freedom of individual choice … we just have to understand that.”
Former diplomat and China expert Charles Burton told the subcommittee that Barton’s words parroted Communist Party propaganda asserting that Chinese culture is inherently averse to liberty and democracy — when in fact the aversion comes from Xi Jinping’s Politburo.
In his Tuesday appearance, however, Barton opened with remarks on “our efforts to promote rights and freedoms in China.”
“We are concerned by the decline of civil and political rights in China,” he told MPs.
