Canada drops free trade talks with China
(VOVWORLD) - A trade agreement between Canada and China is no longer worth pursuing, Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Friday, abandoning free trade talks that were initiated four years ago.
 Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
Canada doesn’t see the conditions being present now for these discussions to continue at this time, Champagne added. His comment shelved the idea of a free trade deal with world's second-largest economy for which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was under pressure from domestic critics who charged he was too willing to make concessions in return for more trade with China.
Champagne also added that Canada’s first priority is to bring its 2 citizens, who were charged in China in June with espionage, back home. Despite ongoing tension, China is still Canada’s second-largest trade partner after the US.