Canada, which is experiencing a trade dispute with the United States, has resumed official talks between defense authorities with China for the first time in eight years.
According to the Ministry of National Defense of China on the 6th, the two countries' defense authorities held the 5th working talks of the Ministry of National Defense in Canada on the 4th and discussed international and regional security issues and ways to expand military exchanges. It is the first time since Apr. 2018 that a defense dialogue between the two countries has been held.
The two countries had operated a consultation framework between defense authorities since 2013, but ties cooled rapidly after Canada, at the request of the United States, arrested Huawei's Meng Wanzhou, vice chair and chief financial officer (CFO), in Dec. 2018. Defense dialogue between the two countries was subsequently suspended.
The resumption of this defense dialogue came as the Mark Carney government in Canada has accelerated efforts this year to improve relations with China. Since taking office, Prime Minister Carney has resumed high-level exchanges with China and expanded direct flights, while also moving to ease trade disputes over agricultural products and electric vehicles.
With China and Canada restoring even the dialogue channel between defense authorities following diplomacy and the economy, some observe that the two countries' moves to improve relations may be expanding into the security field. Prime Minister Carney, amid tensions with the Donald Trump administration in the United States, is moving to reduce dependence on the United States not only in trade but also in defense.
Earlier, starting last month, the United States began imposing a 50% tariff on about $20 billion (about 27.6 trillion won) worth of imports from Canada. In response, Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs on a similar scale of U.S. products, intensifying the trade dispute between the two countries.
However, assessments note that there remains a wide gap between China and Canada over major security issues such as Taiwan. A Royal Canadian Navy frigate transited the Taiwan Strait in May, and China at the time pushed back, saying it opposes damaging China's sovereignty and security under the pretext of freedom of navigation.