BEIJING-Canada’s global trade minister says government negotiators are in China working hard to resolve a dispute that could affect Canadian canola exports.
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Trudeau will be meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, as well as economic and business leaders such as the China Entrepreneur Club, Canada China Business Council and Alibaba founder Jack Ma.
China has also been keen to start talks on a free trade agreement with Canada, similar to the pacts Beijing has sealed with Australia and New Zealand, although a senior Canadian government official said last week there is no near-term chance of agreement.
Canada is keen to get involved with a new worldwide infrastructure bank in China, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau indicated Tuesday – a move that would help the east Asian country’s economic credibility around the world.
Li urged both sides to take a flexible attitude to the canola issue.
The prime minister did not say what China has told him about Garratt’s case.
Li Keqiang, the Chinese Premier stated, with the aid of a translator, that both sides have “shown flexibility” on the matter.
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank: Finance Minister Bill Morneau will meet bank president Jin Liqun Wednesday in Beijing; the bank’s focus is a key component of Trudeau’s own domestic platform.
Trudeau and Li agreed to annual meetings and the eventual establishment of a mechanism to discuss national security and rule of law.
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.
But 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.
Since last year’s election win, Trudeau’s Liberal government has indeed taken a cautious approach to China amid public concerns in Canada over the country’s long-standing history of human-rights abuses.
Li insisted that China is a country of the rule of law and said judicial authorities would handle cases in strict accordance with the law.
Li admitted to historical differences between the two countries, but maintained that mutual interests outweigh the differences.
The United States is the top buyer and imported $3.3 billion worth of canola products in 2015 while China imported $2.6 billion worth.
His family issued a statement Tuesday to express frustration at the lack of progress and their fears for Garratt’s “fragile” health.
However, the poll also revealed that fewer Canadians believe the human rights situation in China is improving.
With the deadline now extended Justin Trudeau says the two countries will work towards a solution in the coming days and weeks ahead.
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A study released in 2013 said Canadian-grown canola contributes $19.3 billion to the Canadian economy each year, including more than 249,000 Canadian jobs and $12.5 billion in wages.
