Huangpu (Whampoa) Spirit in Canada
Xiaoming Guo 郭晓明
On September 3, 2022, the Victory Day of the Chinese Anti-Japanese Invasion War, the Association of Canadian Descents of Huangpu Alumni held an inaugural ceremony in Toronto. This is a great event for the Chinese community and for all righteous Canadians. Huangpu (Whampoa) Military Academy has played an important role in modern Chinese history. Many Huangpu Alumni sacrificed their lives in the Northern Expedition and Anti-Japanese Invasion War.
Huangpu Military Academy was established by Sun Yat-sen with the help of Soviet Russia and the Communist Party of China. It was the fruit of the alliance between the Chinese Nationalist Party and the Communist Party of China.
Sun Yat-sen began his revolution by organizing the Revive China Society in 1894, aimed at overthrowing the Qing government. After a decade of striving for revolution, Sun developed his revolutionary philosophy of the Three Principles of the People: Nationalism, Democracy, and Common Prosperity. By nationalism, he meant to liberate the Chinese from the Manchurian Qing oppression at the beginning. Yet what disappointed Sun was that after the overthrowing of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, the Chinese were still under oppression not from the Manchurian Qing but from the foreign imperialist powers through their support of warlords. Sun sought support from Britain, the US, France and etc., and got no help from western powers. After the October Revolution in Russia, Sun viewed the Russian revolution as an example to be followed. He knew, from his thirty years of revolution, that he needed a disciplined party and a strong army for his revolution. In 1923, Sun and Soviet Union’s Special Envoy Adolph Joffe signed the Sun-Joffie Manifesto and confirmed the alliance with the Soviet Union and the Communist Party of China. In 1924, Sun held the First National Congress of the Chinese Nationalist Party to reform the party. 40% of the delegates to the Congress were members of the Communist Party of China. One-fourth of the executives elected by congress were members of the CPC. Sun reinterpreted the Three Principles of the People in congress. Specifically, the new nationalism is not anti-Manchulian but anti-imperialist powers. Following the national congress of KMT, Huangpu Military Academy was established with funding from the Soviet Union together with military instructors and weapons from Russia.
Sun in his will said that the revolution has not yet succeeded and comrades still need to strive. When imperialist powers still keep Taiwan separated, the revolution of Sun Yat-sen has not yet succeeded. When Taiwan has not united into the mainland yet, the descents of Huangpu alumni still need to strive. The spirit of Huangpu is the spirit of Sun Yat-sen.
Sun’s ideal is the Faire World for All （天下为公）. So his nationalism is not in the interest of any single nation. His nationalism is that no nation should be under the oppression of other powers, specifically, China should not be oppressed by imperialist powers. Upholding Sun’s Three Principles of the People, the Association of Canadian Descents of Huangpu Alumni has no conflict with Canadian national interest. In fact, this association is for the Canadian national interest.
A group of Canadian parliamentarians plans to visit Taiwan. This will damage Canadian national interest. Canada officially recognizes the People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate government of China and Taiwan is part of China. Parliament is a branch of the Canadian government. Sending a group of Canadian parliamentarians to Taiwan breaches the Canadian one-China policy. This damages the credibility of the Canadian government. A stable society needs a trustworthy government. The parliamentarians’ Taiwan visit undermines the authority of the Canadian government, fermenting social rebels. At the beginning of 2022, there was a Freedom Convoy. Truckers rebelled against our government and paralyzed our transportation. When our government eats its own words, it weakens its authority. This is an example of how parliamentarians visiting Taiwan will damage Canadian national interest. Descents of Huangpu Alumni uphold Sun’s Three Principles of the People and promote Taiwan’s reunion with the mainland. They are against the parliamentarians’ visit to Taiwan and they are patriotic Canadian citizens for the Canadian national interest.
Canada sent warships to Taiwan Strait. This damages Canadian national interest. Canada is a member of the UN and the UN Charter recognizes every member’s sovereignty. When Canada challenges the sovereignty of China in the Taiwan issue, it erodes the spirit of rule of law. UN Charter is international law and Canada contributes a lot to the UN Charter. Sending warships to Taiwan Strait is telling our society that we can breach the law and discriminate against some countries. The rhetoric of politicians and media supporting sending warships to the Taiwan Strait is telling our society that we can despite the rule of law and discriminate against some groups in our society. In 1989, a criminal killed 14 women at the University of Montreal. The criminal hated women and didn’t think women deserve the protection of the law, just as our government hates China and doesn’t think China deserves the protection of international law. The criminal who hated women deprived the lives of women just as our government hates China so we sent warships to challenge the sovereignty of China. In 2017, six Muslins were shot to death at a Quebec City mosque. In 2021, a truck attack wiped out a Muslim family in London. Some killed Muslim Canadians despite of criminal law just as we sent warships to Taiwan Strait despite international law. The criminals deprive the lives of Muslims just as we try to sabotage the sovereignty of China. Giving a plausible justification and law can be ignored. That’s the message sending warships to Taiwan Strait sends to our society. The decision-makers’ decision to send warships to Taiwan Strait are morally corrupt and their decision together with their rhetoric, corrupt the morality of our society. Sending warships to the Taiwan Strait nullifies our decades of education to eliminate hate crimes and discrimination in our society. Descents of Huangpu Alumni uphold Sun’s Three Principles of the People and promote Taiwan’s reunion with the mainland. They are against sending warships to Taiwan and they are patriotic Canadian citizens for the Canadian national interest.
Taiwan issue is essentially an issue of the US hegemony encircling China. The US is promoting its agenda of annexing Taiwan from China. Upholding a one-China policy is against US hegemony. Both Canada and China are victims of US economic bullying. The US breached the NAFTA agreement by putting tariffs on our softwood and aluminum products. It put a 300% of tariff on Bombardier jets and forced Bombardier to sell its jets production line. Canada does not have the capability and political will to become a hegemony. Multipolar world order is better for Canadian national interest. We don’t have the capability to against the US hegemony, however, we at least don’t need to help the US in its hegemony agenda. China is the main engine of the world economy that contributes the most to the economical growth of the globe. The US’ new cold war with China deteriorates our relationship with China and damages our economy. The present inflation is the result of the US’s new cold war with China. Descents of Huangpu Alumni uphold Sun’s Three Principles of the People and promote friendship between Canada and China. They are against the US agenda of provoking China in the Taiwan issue and they are patriotic Canadian citizens for the Canadian national interest.
Our government follows the US foreign policy closely, interfering in the internal affairs of China in the name of human rights and democracy. Sun established Huangpu Military Academy because he recognized that no democracy is possible under foreign domination or influence. Our recent experience confirms the observation of Sun Yat-sen. NATO occupied Afghan for 20 years, brought neither democracy nor improved human rights in Afghan. NATO bombed Lybia and destroyed the democracy, if any, and human rights in that country. Canada has joined the chorus of the Arab Spring and cheered many other color revolutions and regime changes by the manipulations of the US, and all those regime changes results in no democracy and human rights improvement but refugee crisis. Using democracy and human rights to justify the US’ hegemony policy is profaning our sacred Canadian values of democracy and human rights, eroding our democracy at home. The witch hunts of “China Threats” are all based on rumors and hearsay, producing no material evidence. We claim China oppresses Hong Kongers, yet 300 thousand Canadians choose to live in Hong Kong. We paint a picture of the oppressed society of China, yet hundreds of thousands of Chinese students can come to our university. Tens of thousands of Chinese tourists come to Canada and they happily return back to China. None of the China-bashing produces evidence beyond doubt. Our politicians and media bash China just yield to the war propaganda of the military-industrial complex, ignoring our real experience and observation of our relationship with China. The most investigated case of China espionage in North America was the Wen Ho Lee case and it turned out racist profiling. It deteriorates our democratic society because the China-bashing is based on lies and rumors and democracy cannot build on lies. Xiangguo Qiu, a distinguished Canadian scientist, was dismissed by RCMP in 2019, without due process and without evidence till today. The human rights of Canadian citizens cannot be protected in Canada. That’s how damaging the new cold war with China is to our society. Descents of Huangpu Alumni uphold Sun’s Three Principles of the People and promote friendship between Canada and China. They are against the US’ new cold war with China and they are patriotic Canadian citizens for the Canadian national interest.
Descents of Huangpu Alumni would like Canada to welcome China rising. China has a foreign policy of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation. This international relationship is much better than America First policy. China has a vision of building an international community with a Shared Future for Mankind. This is a just and fair vision for Canada and for the world. Descents of Huangpu Alumni endorse this vision because this vision shares the same spirit of Sun’s Faire World for All（天下为公）. The standing of Descents of Huangpu Alumni is based on human conscience and they are patriotic Canadian citizens for the Canadian national interest.
