CHARGED TRIP — Pretty soon it’s wheels up for self-described lightning rod of criticism STEVEN GUILBEAULT, on his first trip to China as environment minister. He’s headed to rep Canada as the first Cabinet minister to travel to the country since pre-pandemic times at the annual meeting of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (known by its acronym-soup moniker in bureaucratese as the CCICED, or simply the China council). And if one thing is certain, more lightning bolts will be hurled his way over the trip. Guilbeault, also the executive vice-chairperson of the organization, travels Aug. 26-30 to Beijing for its annual meeting. He’s set to cheerlead for climate change cooperation and the biodiversity framework agreed on last December at COP15, a deal that Canada helped broker. — What it does: The organization advises the Chinese government on environmental issues. A statement posted by the Conservative party notes DING XUEXIANG, right-hand man of President XI JINPING, serves as its chairman while also sitting on the Communist Party’s Politburo. “For Ding and the CCICED, the interests of Beijing’s Communist Party come first,” it charged. A statement from Guilbeault’s office maintained it serves as an independent “forum to advance policies and practices that prevent pollution, protect biodiversity and combat climate change within China.” — Small slice of the saga: The coming China trip quickly became a magnet for criticism after it was unveiled, following months of drama over Canada’s relationship with Beijing after a spate of scandalous incidents during the past few years that have rankled Canadians: → The two Michaels. → Foreign interference, for which a public inquiry is reportedly on the near horizon. → The targeting of Conservative MP MICHAEL CHONG and his family, and the subsequent disinfo campaign leveled against him. — What the critics say: Columnist TERRY GLAVINdescribed the organization in the National Post as “a comical disco-era relic from the days when it was almost possible to believe the Chinese Communist Party’s promises about behaving like a civilized member of the global community” while its GHG emissions have rocketed over the past two decades. PIERRE POILIEVRE tweeted, “Having a cabinet minister work for that dictatorship on ‘environmental’ policy while he shuts down our industries & taxes our energy is outright betrayal.” Conservative foreign affairs critic MICHAEL CHONG posted the Trudeau government is “lending Canada’s good name to Beijing and giving it the veneer of respectability of doing something on climate change.” — The defenders say: Guilbeault’s office calls the criticisms hypocritical, pointing to former Conservative Environment Minister PETER KENT being the organization’s former exec vice chair. Canada provides no funding to the government of China, according to a statement from Guilbeault’s office, which noted funding to the organization has remained relatively consistent since the early 2000s. Liberal MP TERRY DUGUIDresponded to Chong: “Disengaging with China on environmental issues is a bad idea. Think about the success we had achieving a biodiversity deal in Montreal at COP15 along with China.” — Not alone: JOHN KERRY held a China bilat recently, pushing for U.S.-China climate cooperation that could ease tensions between the two countries. Nothing concrete came of the talks, which attracted as much domestic political criticism from Republicans. U.S. Commerce Secretary GINA RAIMONDO will also be in China at the same time as Guilbeault. — Other players involved: INGER ANDERSEN, head of the United Nations Environment Programme and former Deputy Prime Minister of Norway KRISTIN HALVORSEN are both vice chairs. —The agenda: The meeting kicks off Monday with speeches by the executive vice chairpersons, under the general theme of a green transition for “high-quality development modernization in harmony with nature." Did someone forward Ottawa Playbook your way? Click here to sign up for your own edition. It’s free! | 
