Canada seeks a “pragmatic” approach to diplomacy with China while also prioritizing partnerships with Japan and South Korea, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly told Nikkei on Tuesday.
Joly was in Tokyo as part of a diplomatic tour to the region. She met with Chinese Foreign Minister and Politburo member Wang Yi in Beijing on Friday, becoming the first Canadian foreign minister to visit China since 2017. She said she aims to “engage in a dialogue” to “challenge China on certain issues and cooperate with them on others.”
Bilateral ties have been cooling since Canadian authorities detained Huawei Technologies Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou at Vancouver International Airport after her arrival during a stopover in December 2018. Joly signaled that she and Wang made progress toward a thaw, calling their recent meeting “very constructive.”
But Joly said she wanted to “send a message” to China that “we’re also coming to see our friends and allies in the North Pacific.” She stopped in Japan and South Korea as part of her tour.
“We want to be as close to Japan as we are from the U.K., from Germany and France,” Joly said, describing Japan as a “core” part of Canada’s Indo-Pacific strategy.
Canada and Japan in recent years have stepped up cooperation on defense, illegal fishing issues, the economy, energy and food security, she added.
In terms of the war in Ukraine, Joly said Canada’s position “has been clear since day one.””We’ve been supporting Ukraine at every single level, particularly on the military level, on the financial level, on the humanitarian level, and in every diplomatic fora,” she said.
Joly warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin “has no red line” and could target other countries in Europe as well as NATO territory next.
“It affects directly the transatlantic security partnership. That is why it’s such an important and existential fight,” she said.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who recently took over the European Union’s rotating presidency, has met Putin and former U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss Ukraine and is reportedly leaning toward a peace plan that would force major concessions on Kyiv.
“We need to do everything to support Ukrainians to be in a strong position once they are at that negotiating table,” Joly said, but stressed that “we’re not there yet.”
Joly said Canada was “following very closely” the U.S. election in November, which could have major implications for NATO and the Indo-Pacific region.
Still, she downplayed concerns over the outcome, saying the government of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has “worked with different administrations” in the U.S., and “will adapt to any scenario” regardless of who wins.
“We are engaging with people from all sides of the American society,” she said.
Joly also discussed the stalled negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages taken in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack against Israel.
Stressing that the violence must stop and the hostages must be released, she said, “We are very supportive of the Biden proposal of a cease-fire.”
At the same time, “we can no longer delay… the recognition of the Palestinian state. That’s Canada’s position,” she said.
Canada will chair the Group of Seven wealthy nations in 2025. Joly said the priorities for Canada’s tenure include geopolitical tensions, climate change, artificial intelligence, and foreign interference and disinformation in democracies. Canada has reported attempts by China and other countries to influence its elections in the past.
Gen. Jennie Carignan took over command of the Canadian Armed Forces this month. “We are proud to have our first woman chief of defense staff in our history,” Joly said.
“Having women at the table can be extremely useful to prevent conflicts from happening, or making sure that there is eventually resolution of given conflicts,” she said.
