Reference News, March 16 report: According to the website of Germany's Berliner Zeitung on March 15, the heads of government of Canada, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland reached an agreement on March 15 in Oslo to deepen cooperation in areas such as defense industry, economy, and Arctic security. According to Reuters, this meeting was part of Canadian Prime Minister Marc Garneau's strategy to build a so-called new alliance of middle powers to reduce dependence on the United States.
The report stated that Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told journalists: "The old world order has ended and it is unlikely to return." She pointed out that a new order must be established — an order based on shared values.
Specifically, the six countries plan to expand defense production and strengthen coordination in arms procurement. According to reports, Garneau said that uncoordinated spending does not benefit taxpayers and is also not helpful for people's security. He said that although countries will continue to purchase defense products from the United States, they will also promote procurement cooperation with a broader range of partner countries.
The report also stated that the heads of government of the six countries, in a joint statement released on March 15, pledged to hold more regular meetings at all levels. The statement covered multiple issue areas, including Arctic security, collective defense, and trade and economic relations. In addition, the countries plan to cooperate more closely in future technology fields such as quantum computing, artificial intelligence, satellites, and space technology, as well as in the acquisition of key raw materials and reliable supply chains.
The Oslo meeting was part of a broader foreign policy adjustment outlined by Canadian Prime Minister Garneau in January at the World Economic Forum in Davos. In his widely watched speech, he claimed that the rules-based world order has failed and called on other countries to jointly establish a new order.
Garneau spoke in Davos about how major powers increasingly use economic integration as a tool for pressure, and multilateral institutions such as the WTO and the UN have been severely weakened. Therefore, middle powers must unite to avoid becoming victims in the games of major powers. Garneau vividly said in Davos: "If you are not sitting at the table, you will end up on the menu." (Translated by Jiao Yu)
Original: toutiao.com/article/7617731937716748835/
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