Ottawa: Canada launched a new Indo-Pacific strategy on Sunday, working with the world’s second-largest economy on climate change and trade issues to provide more resources to deal with a “disruptive” China. Committed to
In a 26-page document, Canada said it would boost its military presence in the region and tighten investment rules to protect intellectual property and prevent Chinese state-owned enterprises from blocking supplies of key minerals.
The long-awaited plan is an outline of deepening ties with the 40-nation fast-growing region, which accounts for about C$50 trillion ($37.4 trillion) in economic activity. But the focus is on China, at a time when bilateral relations are cooling.
“China is an increasingly disruptive global power,” the strategy states. “China is seeking to reshape the international system into a more permissive environment for interests and values that are increasingly alienating from ours.” have been.”
The strategy, highlighting Beijing’s “foreign intervention and increasingly coercive behavior with other countries,” said Canada would increase intelligence and cyber security, as well as a regional military presence.
“Our approach … is shaped by a realistic and clear-eyed assessment of China today. In areas of deep disagreement, we will challenge China,” he said.
Tensions escalated in late 2018 when Canadian police detained a Huawei Technologies executive and Beijing later arrested two Canadians on espionage charges. All three were released last year, but relations remain strained.
Earlier this month, Canada banned three Chinese companies from investing in key Canadian minerals, citing national security concerns.
The document mentions China, saying that Ottawa will review and update legislation that will enable it to “act decisively when investments by government agencies and other foreign entities threaten our threaten national security, including our supply chains of critical minerals”.
The document says Canada will boost its naval presence in the region and “increase its military engagement and intelligence capabilities to reduce threats to extremism and regional security.”
Canada belongs to the Group of Seven major industrialized nations, which wants significant measures in response to North Korea’s missile tests.
Ottawa is engaged with partners in the region such as the United States and the European Union, the document said.
He said Canada needed to keep talking to nations with which it had fundamental differences, but did not name them.
“China’s sheer size and influence make cooperation necessary to address some of the world’s existential pressures, such as climate change and biodiversity loss, global health and nuclear proliferation. And China’s economy is important to Canadian exporters. provides opportunities,” she said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government wants to diversify trade and economic ties that are heavily dependent on the United States. Official data from September showed that bilateral trade with China was less than 7% of the total, compared to 68% for the US.
