【By Observer Net, Yuan Jiaqi】

While engaging in delicate trade negotiations with the Trump administration in the United States, Canada is also pushing to strengthen bilateral relations with China and India. As early as during the United Nations General Assembly in September this year, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand, an Indian-Canadian, revealed that she planned to visit China, India, and Singapore to lay the groundwork for deepening trade and investment cooperation.

This week, Anand's Asian tour began with India. According to a report by U.S. media Bloomberg on the 13th, Anand's mission is "challenging and highly sensitive," because any measures to ease tensions with China need to be carefully advanced to avoid provoking retaliation from President Trump.

In an interview with Bloomberg, when asked how Canada balances its relationship with China and the United States, Anand emphasized, "This is essentially a sovereign country's autonomous choice."

"In the current geopolitical environment, maintaining stable relations with major global economies is crucial," she further added, "Canada's development of relations with China will follow a core principle: all actions are based on the best interests of the Canadian people."

Anand also claimed that Canada adopts a consistent strategy towards all countries, putting the interests of its workers and businesses first.

September 23, New York, USA, during the United Nations General Assembly, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand. Visual China

Canada's policy toward China has long been influenced by the United States. During Prime Minister Trudeau's tenure, Canada followed the then-US Biden administration, imposing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, steel, and aluminum products. The new government under Kanai, which took office in March this year, continued this policy.

During negotiations with the current Trump administration on steel and aluminum tariffs, the Kanai government also played the "China card," echoing US arguments that "strengthening North America's supply chains in these industries is key to countering China."

As a countermeasure, this year, China has announced a 100% tariff on canola oil, oil cakes, and peas imported from Canada, and a 25% tariff on Canadian seafood and pork. When the State Council Tariff Commission announced the relevant decisions in March, it pointed out that the Canadian government's taxation on Chinese electric vehicles, steel, and aluminum products seriously infringes on China's legitimate rights and interests, and disrupts Sino-Canadian trade relations.

Currently, the Kanai government is seeking to restart trade relations with China, including negotiations on issues such as seafood and canola oil tariffs. Provinces in western Canada have repeatedly urged the government to remove tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in exchange for duty-free exports of agricultural products to China.

The report mentioned that public opinion in Canada on the electric vehicle tariffs is also changing. A recent survey by Nanos Research found that currently 44% of Canadians support the tariff policy, down from 63% last year.

Latest poll results from Nanos Research. Bloomberg chart

Kanai himself has recently adjusted his tone on China, frequently sending signals of hope for cooperation in the energy sector, and expressing optimism about exporting more liquefied natural gas to Asia.

On September 22, at an event hosted by a U.S. think tank, Kanai said that Canada may be willing to cooperate with China in certain areas, such as "energy and basic manufacturing," while avoiding areas involving national security and privacy. He also said that there are opportunities for cooperation between Canada and China on climate change, and called China "very sincere and actively committed" on this issue.

Anand also emphasized that despite differences between Canada and China, the two countries can cooperate in areas such as climate change and other trade issues. She told Bloomberg, "We have many Canadian companies actively conducting business in China."

U.S. media also disclosed that the Canadian prime minister hopes to meet with Chinese leaders, and the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea may become an opportunity.

Recently, U.S. officials have frequently hinted that the U.S. and China will hold meetings during the APEC summit in late October. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson had previously responded on September 22, saying, "Regarding the specific issues you mentioned, the U.S. and China are communicating, and I don't have any information to provide at this time."

At the end of September, Bloomberg reported on Anand's plan to visit China. At that time, the Canadian foreign minister said that she would meet with the foreign ministers of China and India separately to explore ways to cooperate on issues that have troubled bilateral relations in recent years, including the trade conflict with China and the accusations against India for transnational violence.

"We must ensure that we maintain good bilateral relations with important economic powers in the Indo-Pacific region. Our cooperation with these partners is to ensure that Canada's interests are paramount," Anand said.

She said that she plans to advance Canada's interests in trade, climate change, defense, and security during the upcoming talks.

At the same time, she reiterated her usual stance, saying, "We need to cooperate with China in areas where we can collaborate, and challenge them where we must. This is the core of our Indo-Pacific strategy, as well as the reality of complex diplomacy in 2025."

This statement made Bloomberg question: Does Canada want China to withdraw its tariff retaliation, but what kind of exchange conditions can it offer China?

Regarding Canada's trade restrictions, China has pointed out that it hopes Canada will correct its mistakes from the perspective of safeguarding the multilateral trading system and the overall interests of Sino-Canadian trade relations, and stop the restrictive measures. China will take all necessary measures to resolutely protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.

On October 12, local time, Anand arrived in New Delhi and held meetings with Indian Prime Minister Modi and Foreign Minister Sujan. AFP reported that this is the highest-level visit since the two countries resumed diplomatic personnel exchanges after their intense disputes.

In June 2023, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a leader of the Sikh community in Canada, was shot and killed in British Columbia, Canada. Then-Prime Minister Trudeau publicly accused the Indian government of being involved in the assassination. India denied it. The two countries exchanged accusations, expelled each other's diplomats, and India once suspended visas for Canadian officials, leading to a deterioration of bilateral relations.

Since Kanai came to power, Canada has sought to repair its bilateral relations with India, and both countries have appointed new ambassadors and established a cross-border crime intelligence sharing mechanism.

When asked when the trade agreement negotiations between Canada and India would resume, Anand pointed out, "There has been significant progress already."

According to a Bloomberg report, on Monday (12th), Canada and India issued a joint statement that the two countries will "start as soon as possible" ministerial-level bilateral trade and investment consultations, and resume the "Canada-India Chief Executive Officer Forum" by early 2026, so that senior trade delegations can convene company executives during their visits.

Additionally, the two countries agreed to rebuild the ministerial dialogue mechanism in the energy sector, promote bidirectional liquefied natural gas trade, clarify the cooperation path for Canada to supply critical minerals to India, and plan to discuss cooperation in the field of critical metals during the mining conference in Toronto in March next year.

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