POS tRump is making U.S. WEAK again: China’s Li Keqiang says Beijing is set on path to free-trade deal talks with Canada
Li Keqiang and Justin Trudeau meet at Asean summit to discuss way ahead for relationsCanada sees no impediment to China deal after signing up for USMCA
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 14 November, 2018, 7:56pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 14 November, 2018, 9:49pm
scmp.com
COMMENTS: 25
Teddy Ng
9SHARE
25
Print Email
RELATED TOPICS
Trade US-China trade war US-China trade war: All stories Canada Justin Trudeau Li Keqiang
Related Articles
ECONOMICS Asia faces rocky path to realising China-backed mega free-trade deal13 Nov 2018
OPINION The US did not ‘rebuild’ China. Here are four reasons why13 Nov 2018
OPINION How Hong Kong can help explain China to the world13 Nov 2018
China said it will continue pursuing negotiations with Canada on a free-trade deal after assurances that a recently settled North American trade agreement would not stop Ottawa from signing deals with other countries.
CHINA AT A GLANCE
Get updates direct to your inbox
E-mail *
By registering you agree to our T&Cs & Privacy Policy
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said in a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday that the two nations were important partners and should strengthen trade ties.
“We have noticed that Canada has made clarification on a new trade agreement reached among the United States, Mexico and Canada, saying that the agreement will not affect Canada’s decisions on free-trade agreements with other countries,” Xinhua quoted Li as saying.
US and Canada reach last-minute deal to save Nafta, rename it USMCAUncertainty had surrounded Beijing’s hopes to negotiate a free-trade deal with Ottawa, as Canada completed its negotiations with the US and Mexico.
The deal, known as USMCA, stipulated that if a member country entered a free-trade deal with a non-market economy, it has to notify the other members three months before negotiations begin. The other members can quit within six months to form their own bilateral trade pact.
China is seen as a non-market economy, and the clause is regarded as an attempt by the US to restrict its partners from signing trade deals with Beijing.
Li and Trudeau met when the Canadian prime minister visited the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Singapore.
Canada’s International Trade Minister Jim Carr said after the meeting that the Canadian government was interested in having a deal that helped female entrepreneurs, indigenous peoples and promoted other Canadian values, Canadian Press reported.
On Tuesday, Carr said Canada was exploring a variety of sector-specific trade pacts with China that could form the basis of a comprehensive agreement.
He said Canada was involved in talks on a number of products in which China was interested, including energy and agricultural goods. |
