Former Liberal prime minister Jean Chretien slammed Prime Minister Stephen Harper for what he called an "immature" policy towards China.

"I met 18 times with the president of China. I discussed human rights every time," he told delegates Saturday at the Liberal leadership convention in Montreal.

Claiming Canada had done much under his tenure to help advance human rights in China, Chretien said: "Engage them, don't insult them."

Harper told reporters at the end of last month's APEC summit in Hanoi, Vietnam: "... Although it was not a very long discussion, a very frank discussion with President Hu (Jintao) of China - a distinct impression, if I may say that, that the Chinese aren't used to that from a Canadian government, but I can't speak for them."

Prior to the meeting, Harper said he wouldn't "sell out" on human rights to promote trade and investment with China, one of the world's fastest-growing economies.

Chretien said it is the West, particularly British Columbia, "that is paying the price for this immature policy that runs the risk to destroy" efforts by previous Liberal and Progressive Conservative governments to cultivate a relationship with China.

In a veiled shot at Harper's meeting with Hu Jintao, Chretien said: "I met with the president of China so often I never had to wait at the door to the bathroom to talk to him as it was the case two weeks ago."

Speaking to CTV News after his speech, Chretien said the organizers asked him to deliver a pep talk.

The biggest cheer came when Chretien told the crowd, after listing a number of accomplishments, that the Liberals were the "party that said 'no' to war in Iraq. " Delegates rose to their feet.

The Canadian Alliance Party, then headed by Harper, favoured supporting the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

"I know that Prime Minister Harper was watching," Chretien said. "Perhaps he's still watching. And perhaps I should say: 'Stephen. Stephen. Can I call you 'Steve' like George W.?" That triggered more roars.

He described the party as now being ready to take on the "hard right-wing Conservative government."

Chretien defended his legacy, saying his government fought the deficit, giving credit to his finance minister and former leadership rival Paul Martin.

The Conservatives have taken the large surpluses they inherited from the Liberals and cut socially progressive programs like the court challenges program, he said.

"Imagine what would happened if we would have left them a $42-billion deficit," he said.

Saying he just arrived from travels to numerous places, including Hong Kong and china, Chretien said: "Everywhere they are puzzled about us ... 'How come Canada broke its word on Kyoto?', I heard in Germany and in France.

"Everybody expected us to follow the rule that when a country gives its word, this country keeps its word."

The Chretien government signed the accord eight years ago and ratified it in 2002. However, it didn't introduce a climate change plan until 2005 despite having promised one in its 1993 election platform.

The Conservatives have said the Liberals allowed greenhouse gas emissions to rise 35 per cent above the Kyoto target, and that while it supports the accord, it cannot meet the 2012 target of reducing emissions.

"Now that the Conservatives broke the House of Commons' word on Kyoto, how can they come now to the same House of Commons and say, 'don't break your word on Afghanistan?' That's going to be a problem," Chretien said.

Former prime minister John Turner also addressed the crowd as they waited for the final ballot, but he put the focus on party renewal.

"New leadership is not enough, we also need to rebuild the party with new people and new policies," he said. "And we've got to rebuild from the bottom up, not the top down."