THE GLOBAL EXCHANGE PODCAST

March 28, 2022

In this episode of The Global Exchange, Colin Robertson speaks to Phil Calvert, John Gruetzner, Ted Lipman, Leigh Sarty, and Hugh Stephens about the role China is playing in the current war in Ukraine.

Guests:

• Phil Calvert is a CGAI Fellow, a Senior Fellow with the China Institute of the University of Albert,a and a Senior Research Associate with the Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives at the University of Victoria. He served in Beijing as a Trade Commissioner (1984-87), Economic Counsellor (1994-1997) and Minister & Deputy Head of Mission (2004-2008). In Global Affairs Canada he served as Director General for North Asia, Deputy Chief Negotiator for Canada during China's accession to the WTO and as Director of the Technical Barriers to Trade Division. Most recently he spent 2012-2016 as Canada's ambassador to Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.
• John Gruetzner is a CGAI Fellow and is currently working out of Canada and responsible for international business development for Canadian–based technology firm Syngrafii Inc. He is also the co-founder of Intercedent.
• Ted Lipman is a CGAI Fellow. His career has spanned over 40 years as an Asianist; in diplomacy, philanthropy, academia and culture. Highlights include appointments as Canadian Consul General in Shanghai, Minister/DCM in Beijing, Director/HOM of Canada’s trade office in Taipei, Director General for North Asia at Global Affairs HQ and Ted’s last diplomatic assignment, Canadian ambassador to both North and South Korea.
• Leigh Sarty is Adjunct Professor at the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies and Senior Fellow at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University.  He retired in October 2021 from Global Affairs Canada, where he served at the Embassy in Moscow (Second Secretary, 1996-1999, Deputy Head of Mission 2012-2016) and in Beijing, where he headed the Political Section from 2003 to 2007. At GAC HQ, he was Director for East Europe and Central Asia (2007-2012), Director-General of the Bureau of European Affairs (2016-2018), and Scholar in Residence (2018-2021). His current work focuses on Russia-China-Canada relations
• Hugh Stephens is a CGAI Fellow. He has 40 years of government and business experience in the Asia-Pacific region. Based in Victoria, BC, Canada, he is currently Vice Chair of the Canadian Committee on Pacific Economic Cooperation (CANCPEC), Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, and Executive Fellow at the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary.

Host:

• Colin Robertson is a former diplomat, and Vice President of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

Read, Watch, Listen

• "Red Roulette: An Insider’s Story of Wealth, Power, Corruption, and Vengeance in Today’s China" by Desmond Shum
• Dersu Uzala by Akira Kurosawa
• "The Gathering Storm" by Winston Churchill
• "The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig
• Inspector Banks novels by Peter Robinson
• "The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America" by Timothy Snyder
• The Ezra Klein Show
• "Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin" by Timothy Snyder
• Endeavour