Prime Minister Mark Carney says Beijing doesn’t understand how seriously Canadians take issues of foreign interference, after raising them with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“We had a discussion on foreign interference,” Carney told reporters Saturday before leaving the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Gyeongju, South Korea.
“I don’t think they recognize the level of concerns we have about these issues, but we manage these issues in Canada; we have a structure to manage them.”
The prime minister also referred to China as “the rising economic power.”
Carney and Xi met alongside top officials Friday for 40 minutes, in what was the first formal meeting between leaders of the two countries since 2017. Both characterized it as a turning point in the relationship.
A public inquiry in January pinpointed China as the top perpetrator of foreign interference targeting Canadian democratic institutions, and found Beijing tried to meddle in recent elections.
Carney said Canada’s strategy is to work together where there is common ground and respect one another’s differences, while defending Canadian interests.
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He said he was not expecting progress at the meeting on his goal to get China to drop its tariffs on Canadian canola products, seafood and pork products, which came in retaliation for Ottawa’s 100 per cent tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.
Carney instead said the meeting was “to establish that relationship at the highest level for the first time in eight years” in order to unlock eventual gains, which he suggested is how change is done “in that system.”
He suggested establishing an understanding of the trajectory of the bilateral relationship is “something you do in a relationship as opposed to a transaction,” and the best path for ironing out issues with China.
“People sometimes simplify it down, into ‘if you give this for that’ — that’s not the way it works,” Carney said, adding that without the Xi meeting, “there would not be progress on those issues.”
Two of the most impacted provinces seem to accept that thinking.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said Friday the Xi-Carney meeting was a positive step forward, and it wouldn’t have been realistic for China to remove the tariffs during the meeting.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said Friday the meeting was a good start and “exactly what we’ve been asking for.”
Carney also suggested he would not be revising the restrictions the Trudeau government had imposed on Chinese investments in Canada, such as in the telecommunications sector.
The prime minister said he was more interested in future decisions, noting there are “sensitive areas in terms of inbound investment.”
He said China and Canada can collaborate on “global solutions to climate change” and on finding stability amid changes in “the international monetary and financial system.”
Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu, who also attended the summit, said he met with his Chinese counterpart and described the meeting as “productive.”
Sidhu said in a social media post that he raised trade issues affecting Canadian farmers and businesses, including canola, beef and pet food, and that he emphasized the importance of resolving them quickly.
He said they also spoke about finding “new opportunities for collaboration and strengthening trade and investment ties that support Canadian workers and businesses at home.”
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