Her comments come ahead of several summits attended by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Cambodia, the G20 in Indonesia and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Thailand. “China is an increasingly disruptive, global power,” Jolie told a Toronto audience. “It is trying to shape the global environment into one that is more permissive for interests and values that are further and further removed from our own. “And China’s rise as a global player is reshaping the strategic outlook of every state in the region, including Canada.” In an outline of Ottawa’s new policy strategy, to be released in the coming weeks, Joly said it would be critical to expand relations with India and other countries in the region, as well as with Taiwan. It has not discouraged further trade with China, which has become Canada’s second-largest trading partner, despite strained diplomatic relations. But he warned Canadian companies that they “need to be clear” about doing business in and with China. Her comments came days after Trudeau said China is a “game[ing] aggressive games’ to undermine democratic institutions amid reports that Beijing had actively interfered in Canada’s federal election. His comments on Monday came after reports that Beijing had funded a secret network of candidates in Canada’s 2019 election and days after federal police said they were investigating a secret network of illegal Chinese police stations in Toronto. Bilateral relations have soured since Canada’s 2018 arrest of a Huawei executive on a US warrant and Beijing’s detention of two Canadians in apparent retaliation. All three were released last year in plea deals with US prosecutors. Jolly said Canada should continue to engage with China on global issues such as the climate crisis. In particular, China will preside over a UN conference on biodiversity in Montreal in December. But he promised Ottawa would be vocal about China’s mistreatment of Uyghurs and other minorities, its crackdown on free speech in Hong Kong, military threats against Taiwan and any moves to limit international navigation rights in the region. He said: “We will challenge China when we have to. We will cooperate with China when necessary.” “The Indo-Pacific region is at the center of a global generational shift,” he added, predicting it will account for half of the global economy by 2040. Jolie also noted an increased Canadian military presence in the Pacific and promised more staff at its embassies to analyze the impact of Chinese policies. He told global forums that Canada and its allies would “repeal behavior that undermines international norms.”
