Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy describes China as an increasingly disruptive global power and rebukes the Asian’s country for its disregard of international rules and norms…reports Asian Lite News
Canada has in its new Indo-Pacific strategy document highlighted plans to increase cooperation with India, including a commitment to work towards a new trade agreement, underscoring New Delhi’s growing importance in the strategic, economic and demographic spheres in the region.
The “Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy” document states that the Indo-Pacific region will play a critical role in shaping Canada’s future over the next half-century.
At the same time the document describes China as “an increasingly disruptive global power” and rebukes the Asian’s country for its disregard of international rules and norms. “India’s growing strategic, economic and demographic importance in the Indo-Pacific makes it a critical partner in Canada’s pursuit of its objectives under this strategy,” says the 26-page document released on Sunday.
The strategy document contains a separate section on India and growing economic ties, including through deeper trade and investment, as well as cooperate on building resilient supply chains.
It seeks to expand to market access with India by concluding an Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA) as a step towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between the two countries.
The strategy seeks to create a Canada-India desk within the Trade Commissioner Service to promote implementation of the EPTA for businesses and investors looking to enter the Indian market, or for those partnering with Indian businesses
Canada will it says invest in and connect people, including by bolstering Canada’s visa-processing capacity in New Delhi and Chandigarh.
The Canadian government will support academic, educational, cultural, youth and research exchanges.
Canada will seek to accelerate cooperation in the fight against climate change, in protecting the environment and in deploying green technologies.
It will also send enhanced Team Canada trade missions in priority sectors of mutual interest, such as renewable energy and clean technology.
The strategy states that Canada and India have a shared tradition of democracy and pluralism, a common commitment to a rules-based international system and multilateralism, mutual interest in expanding multifaceted ties between the two countries.
According to the document, the Indo-Pacific region will play a critical role in shaping Canada’s future over the next half-century.
Encompassing 40 economies, over four billion people and USD 47.19 trillion in economic activity, it is the world’s fastest growing-region and home to six of Canada’s top 13 trading partners.
“The Indo-Pacific region represents significant opportunities for growing the economy here at home, as well as opportunities for Canadian workers and businesses for decades to come,” the document read.
Meanwhile, the document describes China as “an increasingly disruptive global power,” that have complex and deeply intertwined relationships with its “key regional actors.”
“Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy is informed by its clear-eyed understanding of this global China, and Canada’s approach is aligned with those of our partners in the region and around the world,” the document reads.
It also rebukes China’s disregard of international rules and norms.
“China’s rise, enabled by the same international rules and norms that it now increasingly disregards, has had an enormous impact on the Indo-Pacific, and it has ambitions to become the leading power in the region,” the document adds.
China rejects Canada’s strategy
China strongly deplored and rejected the attack and smear targeting China outlined within Canada’s Indo-Pacific strategy, an embassy spokesperson said, emphasizing that Canada is completely wrong in interpreting China’s domestic and foreign policies, in recognizing the leadership of Communist Party of China, in jeopardizing China’s national interest and in provoking geopolitical confrontation in the region.
Some Western countries, who at will undermine the international order and other countries’ sovereignty, are the true disruptive force to global peace, security and development, and Canada has played a disgraceful role to this effect, the Chinese Embassy in Canada said after Canada launched an Indo-Pacific strategy on Sunday, calling China “an increasingly disruptive global power” that must be contained.
The spokesperson pointed out that days were long gone when individual Western countries bossed around the developing ones, saying China won’t tolerate any external interference on matters related to Taiwan island, Xinjiang region and Hong Kong.
Trying to separate the Chinese government from its people only exposes Canada’s ignorance of China, and is an approach that is doomed to fail, the spokesperson said.
China urged the Canadian side to stop sabotaging regional peace and stability, as well as political manipulation on China-related issues. “Otherwise, it will face shameful failure and forceful countermeasures from the Chinese side,” the embassy said. (ANI)