Canada seeks stronger ties with Japan as Carney pushes \u2018middle-power\u2019\nstrategy<\/p>\n
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will wrap up his Asia-Pacific\ntour with talks in Tokyo aimed at deepening economic and security\ncooperation.<\/p>\n
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to arrive in Japan on\nFriday (Mar 6) for the last stop of his three-nation Asia-Pacific tour\nthat also took him to India and Australia.<\/p>\n
The trip is part of Ottawa\u2019s broader effort to diversify trade and\nstrengthen partnerships across the Indo-Pacific, reducing reliance on\nthe United States as global competition intensifies.<\/p>\n
In Tokyo, he is set to meet Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi\nfor talks aimed at deepening cooperation in key economic sectors and on\nsecurity and defence, including support for a free and open\nIndo-Pacific.<\/p>\n
Carney has framed the trip as part of a broader effort to bring\ntogether so-called \u201cmiddle powers\u201d at a time of growing rivalry between\nlarger states.<\/p>\n
The visit follows the message he delivered at the World Economic\nForum in Davos in January, where he said: \u201cIn a world of great power\nrivalry, the countries in between have a choice: compete with each other\nfor favour or to combine to create a third path with impact.\u201d<\/p>\n
He has urged countries that are not superpowers but wield significant\neconomic or diplomatic influence to work together to bolster global\nstability and uphold shared values and Japan is central to that\nvision.<\/p>\n
Kei Koga, associate professor at Nanyang Technological University in\nSingapore, said: \u201cJapan has the economic capabilities, and a strong\ndiplomatic presence in the Pacific. And they (Canada and Japan) share\nthe same kind of values \u2026 such as democracy and human rights.\u201d<\/p>\n
A SOLID FOUNDATION<\/p>\n
Canada and Japan have long-standing economic ties underpinned by\nrobust trade and investment.<\/p>\n
Japan is Canada\u2019s fourth-largest foreign investor after the US, the\nUnited Kingdom and China, and its fifth-largest trading partner by\nproduct volume, according to official data.<\/p>\n
Tokyo\u2019s key exports to Canada include cars, machinery and medical\nequipment, while Ottawa exports canola, wheat, beef, pork, minerals and,\nincreasingly, energy to Japan.<\/p>\n
Last year, Tokyo began importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from\nOttawa to diversify its energy supply.<\/p>\n
Mitsubishi Corporation, one of Japan\u2019s largest trading houses, holds\na 15 per cent stake in the C$40 billion (US$29 billion) LNG Canada\nproject in British Columbia.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat concerns the people most in Japan currently is cost of living\nand inflation,\u201d said Tomoo Kikuchi, professor at Waseda University,\nnoting that reliable access to natural resources underpins production\nand prices.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of what\u2019s happening now in (the) Middle East, I think it\u2019s\nimportant for Japan that it has other sources of imports of LNG and\noil,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
SECURITY COOPERATION<\/p>\n
Both countries are also strengthening their security ties amid rising\nregional tensions.<\/p>\n
Under Canada\u2019s Indo-Pacific strategy, Ottawa has joined maritime\nsecurity exercises in Asian waters and signed defence technology\ntransfer and information-sharing agreements with Tokyo.<\/p>\n
But some commentators describe Canada\u2019s engagement as piecemeal and\nad hoc.<\/p>\n
\u201cCanada is a member of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), and\ntheir security perspective could be shifting to the European side,\u201d\nnoted Koga.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo in that sense, it would be difficult to understand to what extent\nCanada could actually commit militarily to the Indo-Pacific in the\nfuture.\u201d<\/p>\n
BALANCE OF POWER<\/p>\n
Canada and Japan both face pressures from larger powers \u2013 especially\nthe United States and China.<\/p>\n
They have long been caught in what analysts call the \u201cWashington\ndistraction\u201d, forced to react to shifts in US trade and security policy.\nBoth countries have faced US tariffs, along with pressure from\nWashington to increase defence spending.<\/p>\n
At the same time, Canada has stepped up selective engagement with\nChina in certain economic areas as it seeks to reduce reliance on the\nUS, while Japan continues to manage tensions with Beijing, including\nover Taiwan and regional security.<\/p>\n
Carney and Takaichi previously met on the sidelines of the APEC\nleaders\u2019 meeting in South Korea in November last year, where they\ndiscussed expanding economic cooperation and strengthening ties in the\nIndo-Pacific.<\/p>\n
The talks in Tokyo on Friday and Saturday will be their first formal\nbilateral summit in Japan.<\/p>\n
Against a backdrop of US policy shifts and regional tensions, the\nmeeting will test whether Canada and Japan can translate their shared\ninterests into a practical middle-power strategy \u2013 one that can hold its\nground amid rivalry between the world\u2019s largest powers.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/canada-seeks-stronger-ties-with-japan-as-carney-pushes-middle-power-strategy-1772766015", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }