Canadian Foreign Minister Anand on Trade and Geopolitics

Canada's Trade and Economic Strategy - Canada is doubling down on the Indo-Pacific strategy, focusing on diversifying supply chains and building trading relationships across the region [2] - Canada aims for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with ASEAN in 2026 [2] - Canada is prioritizing its sovereign and economic interests through diplomacy, leveraging its natural resource wealth, including critical minerals and energy [5][6] - Canada is actively diversifying supply chains, as evidenced by the Foreign Minister's visit to the Indo-Pacific region [7] Canada-China Relations - China is one of Canada's largest trading partners, although trade with the United States accounts for approximately 80% of Canada's total trade [8] - Canada's strategy with China involves challenging where necessary and cooperating where possible, with a key focus on opening strategic dialogue [9][10] - Canada seeks to balance trade opportunities with the need to address issues such as human rights and the South China Seas in its relationship with China [10] Energy and Resources - Canada possesses a competitive advantage in LNG and is witnessing global demand for its LNG and other energy resources [15][16] - Canada is developing its capacity for LNG and has multiple large national projects, including wind, LNG, and nuclear energy, attracting international investment interest [15][16] Canada-India Relations - Canada is taking a step-by-step approach to mend relations with India, focusing on public security and law enforcement dialogue [21] - Canada and India finalized a joint statement for cooperation on public security, energy, critical minerals, resilient trade routes, and agriculture [5][22] Multilateral Engagement - Canada is the host of the G7 and is actively engaged with G7 counterparts across various government ministries [6] - Canada is a proponent of multilateralism and is committed to promoting multilateral engagement across trade, defense, security, and global organizations [19][20]