Canada is doubling down on a push to deepen trade ties with China in a new effort that allows the nation to move ahead on a free-trade deal without quickly advancing extradition treaty talks. Bloomberg reports cabinet members for Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (True-doh) will begin following through on a plan by Trudeau to increase trade. Trudeau’s Trade Ambassador says: “It takes two to tango, but I think the Chinese are also wanting to go in this direction.” Bloomberg points out that the China file is one of Trudeau’s most delicate balancing acts. On one hand, it’s a massive economy with ample demand for Canadian resources. On the other, its human-rights record is a political problem for Trudeau, with polls showing at best lukewarm support for closer ties. The expanded ties Canada is seeking aren’t limited to a free trade pact, it wants more foreign investment, more Chinese tourists and to send more Canadian students to China. There’s little word yet what any expanded trade ties would mean for Canadian agriculture.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.