Wei Statement
Interview of the Interested Parties in the Nov 16 Report of Global News
November 18, 2022 Editor 1 Interview of the Interested Parties in the Nov 16 Report of Global News
[CC.NEWS Report on November 17, 2022]
On November 16, Global News (Canada) published a signed report, “Toronto businessman allegedly focus of Chinese interference probes: sources”.
Our reporter interviewed the Honorary President WEI Chengyi and the current President WENG Guoning of the Confederation of Toronto Chinese Canadian Organizations (CTCCO).
Reporter: Mr. WEI Chengyi, please share your comments on the November 16 report by Global News on this issue.
WEI Chengyi: “It’s inexplicable! It’s total nonsense!”
WEI Chengyi came straight to the point and looked frank, open, and confident.
He continued to say. “The report said that I ‘acted as a middleman’ and ‘transferred about 250,000 Canadian dollars’. Not only it is not true, but it is also a complete fabrication.
Reporter: President WENG Guoning, please share your views on this report.
WENG Guoning: I have been the president of CTCCO since the beginning of 2019. During this period, I have never heard or known of any information about “acting as a middleman” or “transferring about 250,000 Canadian dollars” as stated in the report. If there were such a thing, I, as the substantive director of the Confederation, could not have been unaware of it. So, this report is not based on facts.
Reporter: Please introduce CTCCO briefly.
WENG Guoning: Founded in 1985 by 24 Chinese associations in the majority of the region, the Confederation of Toronto Chinese Canadian Organizations today has more than 100 Chinese organization members.
The initial purpose of founding the Confederation is 3 points in short: first, to unite the Chinese; second, to fight for equality; and third, to promote Canada-China friendship.
We have adhered to this purpose for 37 years as a single day.
Under the current situation, we are more focused on enhancing the friendship between the people of Canada and China while promoting a warming of relations between the two countries.
Reporter: Why do some English media always say that the CTCCO is a “pro-Beijing” association?
WENG Guoning: This is completely a bias in ideology.
No matter who you are, never doubt the love and loyalty of our Chinese community to Canada.
We have come from far away and overcome various difficulties to settle down and raise children in Canada. From the bottom of our hearts, we treat Canada as our second hometown, the best home we have ever known.
At the same time, we also love the place where our ancestors grew up, the root of the Chinese culture through thousands of years. There is no contradiction between these two things. Not to mention that we have chosen Canada, such a model country of cultural diversity.
On the other hand, CTCCO is definitely not a political organization. Most of its members are Chinese clansmen’s organizations such as hometown associations.
Many organization members of CTCCO have a long history. For example, one of the founders of the Confederation, Linxi Rivier Organization, was founded in 1920 in Toronto.
The Chinese Free Masons Democratic Party, another founder, is even earlier. It was founded in 1863 and was called “Chinese Free Masons Zhi Gong Tang”. At that time, Canada was not even founded, and today’s Beijing government didn’t exist.
Another example is the Vietnamese Cambodian Laotian Chinese Organization of Ontario, another founder of CTCCO. Its members are all Chinese from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. How can they be “pro-Beijing”?
Here, I would like to correct it. Historically, the Chinese Free Masons in Canada were perhaps the only political organization in the Confederation, because their purpose was to “oppose the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty” and to overthrow the Chinese government at that time with armed violence.
The Chinese Free Masons in Canada were generous in helping with the establishment of the Republic of China in Nanjing, contributing money, manpower, and numerous sacrifices, and claiming the highest credit, among others.
But why? No one ever said that the Chinese Free Masons in Canada is a “pro-Nanjing” organization.
In recent years, we have campaigned hard for a warming of Canada-China relations.
Some time ago when I was isolated in China due to the pandemic, I repeatedly and vigorously proclaimed Canada’s historical friendship to the Chinese people.
For example, more than a hundred years ago, Canadian missionaries made great and selfless contributions to the cultural, educational, medical, and healthcare efforts of modern China.
In the 1960s, the Canadian government led wheat trade with China, which was described as life-saving food in a snowstorm.
I have also criticized several times the lack of transparency and reciprocity in information, causing some misunderstanding of Canada among the Chinese people.
I am not going to list all the examples like above, but they are all well documented.
According to the logic of the Global News editors, our behaviors above should be “pro-Ottawa”?
Wouldn’t the CTCCO become a “pro-Ottawa organization” then?
Therefore, we should look at everything objectively, comprehensively, and historically, not on the basis of ideological stereotypes and prejudices.
In fact, there is no fundamental or powerful conflict between Canada and China.
Canada-China friendship is in the fundamental interests of both countries, the people in both countries, and the people of the global world.
If the relations between Canada and China are poor, Chinese Canadians will suffer the most. I believe that people of other ethnic groups don’t want to see that either.
We deeply know that the Chinese people and the Chinese Canadians will never forget the great Bethune and will never forget the kindness of the Canadian government for the Chinese people in their time of difficulty.
The good impression that the Chinese people and the Chinese Canadians have of Canada is formed by their history and will not be easily changed by a single event or in a short period of time.
Canada-China friendship is the trend of the people’s hearts!
We sincerely hope that the people of Canada and China and all sectors of society will work with us together to realize this beautiful vision!
Of course, this also includes the media in Canada and China.
Reporter: Thank you for accepting the interview.
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Click to share quote on Twitter: Wei Statement</p><p>Interview of the Interested Parties in the Nov 16 Report of Global News</p><p>November 18, 2022 Editor 1 Interview of the Interested Parties in the Nov 16 Report of Global News</p><p>[CC.NEWS Report on November 17, 2022]</p><p>On November 16, Global News (Canada) published a signed report, “Toronto businessman allegedly focus of Chinese interference probes: sources”.</p><p>Our reporter interviewed the Honorary President WEI Chengyi and the current President WENG Guoning of the Confederation of Toronto Chinese Canadian Organizations (CTCCO).</p><p>Reporter: Mr. WEI Chengyi, please share your comments on the November 16 report by Global News on this issue.</p><p>WEI Chengyi: “It’s inexplicable! It’s total nonsense!”</p><p>WEI Chengyi came straight to the point and looked frank, open, and confident.</p><p>He continued to say. “The report said that I ‘acted as a middleman’ and ‘transferred about 250,000 Canadian dollars’. Not only it is not true, but it is also a complete fabrication.</p><p>Reporter: President WENG Guoning, please share your views on this report.</p><p>WENG Guoning: I have been the president of CTCCO since the beginning of 2019. During this period, I have never heard or known of any information about “acting as a middleman” or “transferring about 250,000 Canadian dollars” as stated in the report. If there were such a thing, I, as the substantive director of the Confederation, could not have been unaware of it. So, this report is not based on facts.</p><p>Reporter: Please introduce CTCCO briefly.</p><p>WENG Guoning: Founded in 1985 by 24 Chinese associations in the majority of the region, the Confederation of Toronto Chinese Canadian Organizations today has more than 100 Chinese organization members.</p><p>The initial purpose of founding the Confederation is 3 points in short: first, to unite the Chinese; second, to fight for equality; and third, to promote Canada-China friendship.</p><p>We have adhered to this purpose for 37 years as a single day.</p><p>Under the current situation, we are more focused on enhancing the friendship between the people of Canada and China while promoting a warming of relations between the two countries.</p><p>Reporter: Why do some English media always say that the CTCCO is a “pro-Beijing” association?</p><p>WENG Guoning: This is completely a bias in ideology.</p><p>No matter who you are, never doubt the love and loyalty of our Chinese community to Canada.</p><p>We have come from far away and overcome various difficulties to settle down and raise children in Canada. From the bottom of our hearts, we treat Canada as our second hometown, the best home we have ever known.</p><p>At the same time, we also love the place where our ancestors grew up, the root of the Chinese culture through thousands of years. There is no contradiction between these two things. Not to mention that we have chosen Canada, such a model country of cultural diversity.</p><p>On the other hand, CTCCO is definitely not a political organization. Most of its members are Chinese clansmen’s organizations such as hometown associations.</p><p>Many organization members of CTCCO have a long history. For example, one of the founders of the Confederation, Linxi Rivier Organization, was founded in 1920 in Toronto.</p><p>The Chinese Free Masons Democratic Party, another founder, is even earlier. It was founded in 1863 and was called “Chinese Free Masons Zhi Gong Tang”. At that time, Canada was not even founded, and today’s Beijing government didn’t exist.</p><p>Another example is the Vietnamese Cambodian Laotian Chinese Organization of Ontario, another founder of CTCCO. Its members are all Chinese from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. How can they be “pro-Beijing”?</p><p>Here, I would like to correct it. Historically, the Chinese Free Masons in Canada were perhaps the only political organization in the Confederation, because their purpose was to “oppose the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty” and to overthrow the Chinese government at that time with armed violence.</p><p>The Chinese Free Masons in Canada were generous in helping with the establishment of the Republic of China in Nanjing, contributing money, manpower, and numerous sacrifices, and claiming the highest credit, among others.</p><p>But why? No one ever said that the Chinese Free Masons in Canada is a “pro-Nanjing” organization.</p><p>In recent years, we have campaigned hard for a warming of Canada-China relations.</p><p>Some time ago when I was isolated in China due to the pandemic, I repeatedly and vigorously proclaimed Canada’s historical friendship to the Chinese people.</p><p>For example, more than a hundred years ago, Canadian missionaries made great and selfless contributions to the cultural, educational, medical, and healthcare efforts of modern China.</p><p>In the 1960s, the Canadian government led wheat trade with China, which was described as life-saving food in a snowstorm.</p><p>I have also criticized several times the lack of transparency and reciprocity in information, causing some misunderstanding of Canada among the Chinese people.</p><p>I am not going to list all the examples like above, but they are all well documented.</p><p>According to the logic of the Global News editors, our behaviors above should be “pro-Ottawa”?</p><p>Wouldn’t the CTCCO become a “pro-Ottawa organization” then?</p><p>Therefore, we should look at everything objectively, comprehensively, and historically, not on the basis of ideological stereotypes and prejudices.</p><p>In fact, there is no fundamental or powerful conflict between Canada and China.</p><p>Canada-China friendship is in the fundamental interests of both countries, the people in both countries, and the people of the global world.</p><p>If the relations between Canada and China are poor, Chinese Canadians will suffer the most. I believe that people of other ethnic groups don’t want to see that either.</p><p>We deeply know that the Chinese people and the Chinese Canadians will never forget the great Bethune and will never forget the kindness of the Canadian government for the Chinese people in their time of difficulty.</p><p>The good impression that the Chinese people and the Chinese Canadians have of Canada is formed by their history and will not be easily changed by a single event or in a short period of time.</p><p>Canada-China friendship is the trend of the people’s hearts!</p><p>We sincerely hope that the people of Canada and China and all sectors of society will work with us together to realize this beautiful vision!</p><p>Of course, this also includes the media in Canada and China.</p><p>Reporter: Thank you for accepting the interview.
