Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will visit Beijing this week seeking deeper ties with China but a trade dispute, government divisions over China policy and the case of a detained citizen could limit his gains.
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Trudeau has a busy nine day trip ahead with stops in four major Chinese cities plus taking part in the G20 leader’s summit.
Trudeau’s Liberal party is billing this first official visit as an opportunity to build a closer long-term relationship with China compared with what party members call the “ad hoc” relations of the past.
Visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said here on Tuesday that he was “ready to keep and strengthen the strong friendship” between Canada and China.
“We want to set a very clear and constructive relationship with China that, yes, looks at the potential economic benefits of better trade relationships, while at the same time ensuring that our voice is heard clearly on issues of human rights, labour rights, democracy and environmental stewardship”, Mr. Trudeau told reporters last week. As a result, Canada’s trade imbalance with China a year ago hit $46 billion, and is growing fast.
With China being one of the biggest markets for Canada’s canola seed exports, Trudeau is under huge pressure to resolve the issue well before the deadline.
Stanford, now an adviser to the Unifor auto-sector union, pointed to Canada’s “enormous” $45 billion trade deficit with China previous year – a shortfall that ballooned from about $190 million in 1992, according to Statistics Canada.
Indeed, the Chinese consider the Jean Chretien era of the 1990s as the “golden years” in their business dealings with Canada, he added.
Luo Zhaohui acknowledged China has a long way to go to further improve the situation. No country thinks that their human rights situation is flawless.
He is scheduled to meet Li, the country’s second-in-command, again on Wednesday as well as President Xi Jinping.
There is still some wariness in official Ottawa about supporting China’s global influence, particularly with its recent actions the South China Sea, said Paul Evans of the University of British Columbia’s Institute for Asian Research.
China founded the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to provide other countries in the region access to cash for such areas as transportation, power and telecommunications.
Stephen Harper used to make annual visits to Canada’s Arctic but it doesn’t appear his successor is going to follow his lead.
China has become Canada’s second largest trade partner, and second largest source of import as well as market of export, said Li.
A poll for the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada think-tank released on Monday showed that while 46 percent of Canadians supported a free trade treaty with China, only 11 percent backed investment by Chinese state-owned enterprises.
Some good news for Canadian canola producers as the prime minister’s visit to China continues.
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They also failed to come to agreement on the issue of Kevin Garratt, a Canadian held in China who faces charges of stealing government secrets.
