On Wednesday, Trudeau met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing.
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Mr. Trudeau sought to leaven economic ambition with principle, saying Canada is eager for more trade but also hopeful for greater “opportunities for regular frank dialogue on issues like good governance, human rights and the rule of law”.
On the political side, he said it was important for Trudeau that modern free trade deals include chapters on labour and on the environment.
“The government is effectively paralyzed over its China policy”, the source said. He called the current prime minister “the future of Canada” and “a miracle to me”.
Canadian firms can benefit, too, he added.
Last spring, the Chinese-led bank announced its 57 intended charter members.
Should Canada announce Wednesday that it’s joining, it would be among 57 other member countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and South Korea, which signed on previous year in the face of opposition from the U.S.
While Trudeau has said he hopes to broaden trade with the growing superpower, he has been cautious about stating he would like pursue formal talks.
Trudeau said the two leaders wanted to expand trade and investment in areas including energy, clean technology and agriculture, and to increase tourism and cultural cooperation.
The two countries should send a signal to the global community to defend the liberalization of worldwide trade and promote simpler implementation of investments, according to the Chinese premier.
The government said joining the bank will help Canada further engage in multilateral infrastructure efforts, and help pave the way for Canadian companies looking for new business opportunities.
His father, former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, was the first Canadian prime minister to visit China after the establishment of diplomatic relations. Trudeau should not fail to make clear to Chinese leaders Canada’s concern in both cases. “In that light, we seek to encourage investment in Canada and that’ll be something we’ll be bringing forward in meetings in China as we will in bilateral meetings with all the countries we meet”.
Trudeau himself has indicated in the past that there’s no evidence to support the accusations against Garratt.
China strictly regulates religious activities within its borders but China’s Foreign Ministry says the case has nothing to do with Garratt’s faith. “Chinese consumers also have that issue on their mind”, Li added. He admitted to historical differences between the two countries, but maintained that mutual interests outweigh the differences, Xinhua reported.
Garratt’s family said in a statement released by their Beijing-based lawyers they were “extremely frustrated and disappointed” by the lack of progress in securing his release.
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The two countries differ on the level of “dockage”- foreign supplies such as weeds, other crops and detritus- that should be deemed acceptable in Canada’s canola exports to China.
