Canada looks to ease tensions with India, China as minister plans visit

Canada must "ensure we have a bilateral relationship with significant economic powers in the Indo-Pacific," Anand said in an interview on the sidelines of the UNGA meetings

By Laura Dhillon Kane

 

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand will travel to China and India in the coming weeks as her country looks to improve its strained ties with two major Asian economies. 

Anand said she’ll meet with her counterparts in those countries and discuss ways to cooperate amid the issues that have plagued relationships in recent years — including a tariff battle with China and accusations of transnational repression and violence by India.  

Canada must “ensure we have a bilateral relationship with significant economic powers in the Indo-Pacific,” Anand said in an interview on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York. “The work that we will do with these partners is to ensure that Canada’s interests are at the forefront.” 

Prime Minister Mark Carney has sought to ease tensions with both countries after disputes flared up under his predecessor, Justin Trudeau. US protectionism has brought Canada’s need to diversify trading relationships into sharp focus, and China’s tariffs on Canadian canola, pork and seafood are cranking up the economic pain. 

China imposed those tariffs in response to Canada’s decision last year to align with the US by adding 100% levies to Chinese electric vehicles, and 25% on its steel and aluminum products. While the EV tariffs are currently undergoing a review, removing them now may threaten delicate trade talks with the US, ahead of an upcoming review of US-Mexico-Canada Agreement. 

That leaves the question of what Canada can realistically offer China as it seeks relief from China’s agricultural import taxes. 

Carney is set to meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the margins of the UN meetings later on Tuesday, after the pair spoke by phone earlier this year. China recently extended an anti-dumping probe into Canadian canola exports, allowing for talks between the two nations to continue. 

The Canadian prime minister said Monday his country may be comfortable partnering with China in some areas, citing “aspects of energy, for example, straight basic manufacturing,” while avoiding areas that intersect with national security and privacy. He also said there could be an opportunity for Canada to partner with China on climate change, a topic where Beijing is “very sincere and engaged.” 

“This is a country that understands a lot of the engineering solutions to issues around emissions. They’ve happened to have built a real competitive advantage in a number of these areas,” he told the Council on Foreign Relations think tank. “There’s almost a standing offer from them about how to engage in the global commons in and around climate.” 

China is Canada’s second-largest trading partner after the US, and canola is worth tens of billions of dollars annually to the Canadian economy. Anand said she spoke about the sector with the foreign minister of Pakistan, the world’s third-largest canola importer.  

“We will be ensuring that there are alternative trade routes for canola exporters in our country,” she said. 

The foreign affairs minister also met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in July in Malaysia. She said she plans to advance Canada’s interests on trade, climate change, defense and security at their upcoming meeting. 

“We need to cooperate with China where we can and challenge them where we must. That’s the heart of our Indo-Pacific strategy and that is the reality of complex diplomatic relationships in 2025,” she said.  

On India, Carney’s government has made efforts to repair diplomatic relations after a major feud sparked by the murder of a Sikh Canadian activist in British Columbia. The new head of that Sikh activist group in Canada was recently arrested on gun charges, shortly after publicly accusing India of targeting him with threats to his life. 

Anand said domestic public safety is the government’s top priority. She added that Canada’s national security adviser just met with her Indian counterpart, and the two discussed transnational repression.  

“We will continue to stay on top of it for the benefit of the safety and security of the Canadian public,” Anand said.