New York: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has referred to the “progress” his country has made with India as he stressed that Canada is building partnerships abroad amid tariff pressures with the US.
Carney’s remarks on Saturday came after US President Donald Trump last week terminated all trade negotiations with Ottawa “based on their egregious behaviour.”
“…And to be building new partnerships with countries around the world. And there is no better place to do that than in the fastest growing part of the world that represents 60 per cent of the global economy,” Carney said, referring to the Asia-Pacific region.
Speaking to reporters after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea, he cited the free trade deal with Indonesia, talks with the Philippines and Thailand and a “turning point in our relationship with China”.
“Progress which we have been making with India…So I didn’t meet directly with Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi here, (but), the foreign minister, other ministers have been meeting with India,” he said.
“That’s what we’re doing to build our strength at home, first and foremost. Build these partnerships abroad, reduce our reliance on the United States. It can’t happen overnight, but we’re moving very fast,” he added.
Carney’s remarks come as he apologised to Trump over an anti-tariff ad by Ontario. In the wake of the ad, Trump had said that he is terminating all trade negotiations with Canada.
Trump had hosted the Canadian leader in the White House early last month.
Last month, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand visited India and held discussions with Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar.
During her visit, the two sides unveiled an ambitious roadmap to boost cooperation in areas of trade, critical minerals and energy, as part of efforts to rebuild ties that came under severe strain following the killing of a Sikh separatist in 2023.
PTI
