Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is hailing a new era in relations with China during his first official visit to his country’s key trading partner.
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Chrystia Freeland, part of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s delegation in China, said she understands the “absolute importance” of the two countries’ trade relationship, which includes billions of dollars worth of canola shipments.
“We believe that both sides will be able to make some mutual adjustments with the larger picture of China-Canadian trade and ties in mind”, he said.
China has publicly urged Canada to begin free trade discussions, arguing a deal would bring considerable benefits for Canadians. And last week, China’s ambassador to Canada said Ottawa’s “pace and priorities” were “quite different” under the Tories than they were under past Liberal administrations.
Canada’s canola farmers are close to harvesting this year’s crop, and Freeland said the government was “working really hard” to keep the China market open.
Trudeau also said he would raise China’s human rights record, an issue of great sensitivity in Beijing.
Innes adds that the situation is already causing issues for Canada’s canola industry.
But that doesn’t mean the Tories made no headway in building Sino-Canadian relations during their decade in power, said Gerry Ritz, who made about 15 trips to China during his tenure as Harper’s agriculture minister.
Simply put, that means our efforts to sell more high-end goods to China’s burgeoning middle class have fallen flat.
AIIB President Jin Liqun welcomed Canada’s decision, which he called “a vote of confidence” in the institution that showed Ottawa’s “confidence in the strong foundations the bank has built in our first few months”.
Even so, uncertainty remains about how long China will delay imposing its tougher standard, said PI Financial broker Ken Ball, who trades canola futures in Winnipeg.
His eight-day visit, which concludes on Sept. 7, includes meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Premier Li Keqiang (李克強), and his participation at the G20 leaders’ summit in Hangzhou. The institution, launched past year, aims to boost China’s influence in global finance, although the USA has yet to join and has questioned whether it will erode global lending standards.
During his seven-day stay, Trudeau is scheduled to meet with Chinese government leaders, businessmen and the general public, in addition to attending the G20 summit to be held in the city of Hangzhou from September 4th to the 5th.
Li also commented on the case of Kevin Garratt, a Canadian citizen who conducted Christian aid work in China for North Koreans and has been detained in China for two years over accusations of spying.
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The four projects approved earlier this year addressed numerous concerns western countries had about the new bank, he said, including that China would use it to advance its own strategic and commercial interests.
