China's Xiangqi Grandmasters Barred from Canada
A team of China's best Chinese chess players was barred from attending the Canadian Xiangqi Championships on the Canada Day weekend, after being denied visitor visas. The decision was made by the Canadian embassy in Beijing, and seems connected to the current debate about illegal immigration. Stung and angry, Canada's players are looking for ways to protest.
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Barred superstars Yin Chuan XU and Wen Qing YAN
square off in 1999 in Shanghai.
The game was filmed for Chinese television.
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A Chinese team visits Canada and the US every two years. They play matches against top local players, and give public exhibitions of their skill. This year's group includes the grandmasters Yin Chuan XU, Da Hua LIU, and Lin Na WANG; the master, Wen Qing YAN; and two officials. Their visit to the US is taking place as scheduled.
The tour is always timed so that one stop can be at the Canadian
championships. The GMs analyze games, give public exhibitions, and attract a larger audience than the tournament. Edmonton held this year's tournament, and won the team championship for the first time. Jian Yuan WANG of Calgary won his third straight individual title.
According to Oan Thanh TRUONG of the Edmonton Chinese Chess Association, the Chinese team applied for Canadian visas a month in advance. A week before the refusal, the Beijing embassy asked the Edmonton club to send a copy of its legal registration, a bank statement, evidence of the hotel registrations made for the Chinese team, and the names of all the clubs and players in the tournament. All this was sent, accompanied by a letter that Edmonton's mayor had written to support the event. The Chinese team showed the Canadian authorities copies of their US visas.
It wasn't enough. Two days before their scheduled flight, the Chinese were called in to the Canadian embassy and refused entry. TRUONG says that they intend to strongly protest the decision. Back in Canada, there was consternation. Money spent on accommodations, banquet bookings, and advertising, was lost.
All six members of the Chinese contingent were given snottily worded form letters, whose purpose is apparently to discourage future visa applications. They faxed YAN's letter to Edmonton, and copies have been circulated in Canada. The letter originates from the office of the Ambassador of Canada in Beijing, is dated June 23 2000, and is initialed by the "Minister-Counsellor Immigration", whose name is not given. It lists several possible reasons for refusal, of which two are checked off:
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"I am of the opinion, based on the information provided by you, that you would not leave Canada at the end of your stay as a visitor as you do not have sufficient ties to ensure your return to China".
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"You have not proved to my satisfaction that you have a legitimate business purpose in Canada, and therefore I do not consider you to be a visitor at this time".
The letter warns YAN against "submitting a new application in the near future" unless new and "relevant" information is provided. It informs him that future success is unlikely if a previous application is found to contain "false and misleading information". It concludes: "Although this decision may be disappointing, your interest in Canada is appreciated".
Canada's xiangqi players are very angry. They disagree with the
decision, and think that the letter is unnecessarily insulting, a
deliberate slap in the face. Several expressed the opinion that the Canadian government should not send such letters to anyone. At a captain's meeting before the tournament, the clubs agreed to protest the decision in their home cities.
The Canadian players assume that the embassy's decision stems from the current publicity surrounding illegal immigration. They are aware that past business junkets from China and Vietnam have produced mass defections. However they do not see how those situations compare to this one. Chinese grandmasters have visited Canada without incident eight times since 1986. They also make regular visits to Europe and the US, and frequently play and teach in the Far East. Elton Yuen, president of the Toronto Xiangqi Association, says: "For the Chinese people, those GMs are a valuable treasure. They are like the gods of chess, and I don't think they'd ever want to stay here. They have millions of fans at home".
This year's touring team is one of the best ever. XU is one of the world's greatest chess players. He stands at the top of China's ranking list, a hair behind his Guangdong province team-mate, Qin LU. LIU is a former Chinese champion with a special gift for blindfolded play. He regularly gives exhibitions of five to ten simultaneous games - and did so in Canada in 1994. WANG is a former Chinese women's champion. YAN is a famous attacking player who narrowly missed winning the 1999 Chinese championship (and a GM title). XU broke his heart in the final game.
Canada is known throughout the xiangqi world for its highly organize network. Its players are no better than those in the US, but it has more active clubs, and holds more tournaments. Canadians play frequently in the Far East, and cooperate extensively with the Chinese authorities in promoting the game. They both hero worship the Chinese GMs, and consider
them to be personal friends.
The Northern prairie city of Edmonton may seem an unlikely place for Chinese chess, but it is not a backwater. Its large club has the best community support in the country. TRUONG and other Edmonton players regularly play in international tournaments and matches. The club includes Dau UNG, a former Canadian champion, and David Phung, one of the strongest young players outside of Asia. According to Phung, it also has the best group of characters.
The 2002 Canadian championships will be in Toronto. This leaves the Toronto Xiangqi Association with responsibility for the next GM tour. Yuen says: "I want to do my best to make sure in two years time we don't have the same trouble. If the Canadian government says no again, we're going to make sure many people know about their ridiculous decision".
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