Trudeau is now on his first official visit to Beijing.
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Wednesday morning Prime Minister Trudeau announced China has granted an extension to the September1 deadline originally announced earlier this year.
Trudeau said that strengthening the friendship and potential of the relationship between the two will open a new era in China’s engagement with the rest of the world.
“Chinese SOEs are controlled and influenced by the Chinese government and are plainly agents of the Chinese state”, it says, citing government transgressions such as espionage against Canada and its corporations and illegal territorial expansions in the South China Sea.
Trudeau said that the two sides will step up trade and investment.
“It’s a big deal for Canada and the Canadian government understands that”, said Freeland, who said she knows of what she speaks: she grew up on a canola farm in northern Alberta, where her father is preparing for this year’s harvest.
Formal free trade talks between Canada and China have yet to proceed because of snags over labour, the environment and concerns linked to Chinese state-owned enterprises, says Ottawa’s envoy to Beijing.
“It’s important for Canada to have a stable, steady, constructive, effective relationship with China”, said Roland Paris, a former foreign policy advisor to Trudeau.
“Around the world there is anxiety around trade, there is anxiety around China”, Trudeau told a question-and-answer session at the China Entrepreneur Club.
But Trudeau also told the crowd that China “should be able to ask for advice and take suggestions about how to be better” – a carefully worded message given China’s history of rebuking the appearance of condescension from foreign dignitaries. Most of those rules were put in place by Harper after China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) bought the Canadian oil and gas company Nexen in 2012. He also added that he will look into other opportunities where China could allow Canadian products and services be introduced so that Canada can gain more access to China’s lucrative market.
Trudeau’s visit to China kicked off Tuesday and will last through September 6.
“This year marks 45 years of diplomatic relations between Canada and China”, Trudeau said as he stood beside Li in the Great Hall of the People, which overlooks Tiananmen Square.
“You say you’re concerned about human rights issues?”
Trudeau and Chinese President Xi Jinping met during the G20 summit in Turkey last November.
During his visit, Trudeau is expected to push trade ties with China and discuss a possible free trade agreement, as well as the eventual inclusion of Canada in the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
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“China is a country of the rule of law, and the judicial authorities in China will handle judicial cases in strict accordance with the law”, Li said after Trudeau mentioned that he brought up Garratt’s case to Chinese authorities.
