Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke on the phone with his Chinese and Indian counterparts yesterday to discuss continued efforts to combat climate change, develop clean energy technologies and promote trade, according the Prime Minister’s Office.
In his conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Trudeau welcomed the growing economic and people-to-people ties between the two countries. At 1.3 million people strong Indo-Canadians make up about 3.6 per cent of Canada’s population. They are a vibrant and diverse community spread around the country with two main concentrations in Ontario and British Columbia.
“The prime ministers expressed solidarity in their continued efforts to combat climate change and in their ongoing commitment to the Paris Agreement,” according to a readout of the conversation provided by the PMO. “They also discussed the role that green technology and innovation can play in addressing climate change.”
The two leaders discussed continued cooperation on countering global terrorism, and indicated that they looked forward to seeing each other at the upcoming G20 Leaders Summit in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7 and 8, the statement said.
Free trade talks with China
Earlier in the day Trudeau spoke with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.
The Chinese state-owned news agency Xinhua reported that the two leaders discussed economic and financial strategic dialogue between the two countries.
Chinese and Canadian officials are about to hold the third round of “feasibility research on the establishment of a free trade zone,” Xinhua reported.
“Li noted that China is willing to strengthen coordination of development strategies with Canada, promote in an in-depth way cooperation in trade and investment, clean energy, environment protection, agriculture and other fields on the basis of mutual respect and enhancement of mutual trust, and actively launch cooperation with Canada in developing third-party markets, in making concerted efforts to promote liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment, and in realizing greater development of China-Canada relations,” the official Chinese news agency said.
Cooperation on climate change
The two leaders also discussed their respective commitments to combat climate change and the shared responsibility in addressing this global issue, said the statement by the PMO.
Following the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement announced by President Donald Trump last month, China is trying to position itself as a global leader in combatting climate change.
Ottawa and Beijing have begun cooperating on the issue of climate change. Canada participated at the Clean Energy Ministerial in Beijing, in early June and will host the 10th Clean Energy Ministerial and the fourth Mission Innovation Ministerial meeting in 2019.
Li also extended congratulations for Canada’s upcoming 150th anniversary.
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