Former Bank of Canada executive tells Canadians to be a friend to China

Mark Kruger, who held several senior positions within the central bank, went on to say that "I think [China] will succeed," according to Blacklock's Reporter.

"The likelihood of them succeeding is, I think, great ... If I had to gamble, if I had to put my money down, if I had to wager, I wager they will make it."

Kruger did not make any mention of specific human rights violations—namely, Canada's missing Michaels and the ongoing Uyghur persecution—but he did say that if Canada wanted "to influence China on human rights I think it is a very long process."

"It’s a very long process of beginning to see things, first of all, from the Chinese side," he added generously.

"We’re best off acting somehow from a situation of friendship rather than a situation of confrontation, because you know when it comes right down to it, the Chinese can just ignore us, right?"

Kruger then went on to offer some insightful thoughts on the outlook of Canadians: "there’s a sense of things being very broken.” Well spotted.

"Talking to friends and family, I think there’s a sense of things being very broken back home ... But in China, there just isn’t that sense. Theirs is much more a sense of optimism and enthusiasm," he added.

In his speech, Kruger did not put this down to Canada's free press and vibrant civil society.

No longer a central banker, Kruger currently serves as a fellow at the University of Alberta's China Institute and an opinion editor for Yicai Global.