"The exiled one" is really the man about town

First he shows up in a public appearance with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Then, forcing media attention to shift, mid-stream, from the Party Congress in Beijing to Washington, Dubya welcomes his Holiness. Now, it looks like Canada is set to roll out the red carpet for the Dalai Lama:

Although the arrangements have not been finalized, Mr. (Conservative Senator Consiglio) Di Nino said the Dalai Lama will meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, opposition leaders and cabinet ministers. He will also make public addresses in Ottawa and Toronto.

There has been a hesitancy on the part of previous prime ministers to appear with the Dalai Lama in public because doing so could inflame the Chinese.

But Mr. Di Nino said: "Not with this Prime Minister."

I've written before about how Stephen Harper, the current Canadian Prime Minister, seems to do as he pleases despite roars of protest from the Chinese. And now, the government admits it doesn't even take the Chinese complaints seriously. Conservative Senator Consiglio De Nino said:

"The Chinese are going to huff and puff as they usually do. And that's fine. We understand that. It's not going to impact on business. China does business with Canada because it benefits China. Canada does business with China because it benefits Canada," he told reporters.

"What we're asking for is to continue the relationships. We don't want people to stop doing business with China. But to make sure that you let the Chinese friends and colleagues know that some of the issues about China have been raised as issues of concern in our country."

Strong words. The article says the Chinese embassy in Ottawa did not give a formal reply when asked if China would jeopardize its trading relationship with Canada over the issue. I have to agree with the government on this point: there is a lot of bluster from the Chinese side when the Dalai Lama visits foreign leaders, but not much action. We'll see if this is any different.