Canada has curtailed negotiations to establish a free trade zone with China, Canadian Foreign Minister François-Philippe Champagne said on September 18.
“I see no conditions for continuing these discussions at this time,” he told the Globe and Mail newspaper.
According to the head of the Canadian Foreign Ministry, the initiatives and goals of today’s China are not the same as in 2016, when the countries’ negotiations were launched. Champagne stressed that Canada’s policy on this issue should be revised taking into account the current position of China.
According to Reuters, the decision was made against the backdrop of pressure on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was criticized domestically for being compliant to the PRC.
Champagne also added that the top priority for the Canadian authorities is to bring home former diplomat Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who were charged with espionage in China in June.
Relations between Canada and the PRC worsened in December 2018 after the financial director of Huawei Meng Wanzhou was detained in Vancouver, Canada, at an American request.