Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea later this week. Carney also mentioned that he is ready for trade talks with US President Donald Trump as soon as he can, the prime minister told reporters on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.
“We are ready to sit down with the United States, with me, with the president, with my colleagues, with their colleagues, when the US is ready to sit down,” Reuters quoted the Canadian prime minister as saying.
Mark Carney’s plans to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping come amid fresh tensions with President Donald Trump, who recently cut off trade talks and imposed more tariffs. Trump reportedly said he has no plans to meet with Carney when they cross paths in the region.
Canada-China talks: What’s on the agenda?
Mark Carney, who is currently on a trip to three countries in Asia – said he plans to discuss bilateral trade relations with Xi – along with a wider range of issues.
The Canadian leader also said the talks could lead to progress on easing travel restrictions between the countries, as well as on agriculture, fisheries products and manufacturing for Canada, a Bloomberg report said.
“We will follow up on the discussions I had with Premier Li in New York a few weeks ago,” he said, referring to a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly with China’s top official Li Qiang.
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand recently traveled to China to help ease relations — seeking relief from the Asian nation’s tariffs on Canadian canola, pork and seafood, while Carney has resisted reducing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, steel and aluminum.
On Monday, Carney also indicated that while he was open to further talks with the United States, he would reject any trade deal that was not in his nation’s best interests, according to multiple reports.
Canada-US relations: What did Trump say?
Last Thursday, Trump announced he was ending all trade negotiations with Canada after a political ad in Ontario featured a quote from Republican icon and former US President Ronald Reagan saying the tariffs were causing trade wars and economic disaster.
We are ready to sit down with the United States, with me, with the president, with my colleagues, with their colleagues, when the US is ready to sit down.
Trump even announced additional 10% tariffs on goods from Canada after the trade talks broke down on Saturday.
Carney said he had not been in touch with Trump since Thursday but had let the president of the United States know he was available.
