Toronto (Canada), November 28 (EFE).- Canada has presented a strategic plan for the Indo-Pacific which foresees an increase in its military presence in the region and hardens its position against China, a country it described as “an increasingly global disruptive country
The 26-page document, released Sunday evening by Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly, signals a tightening of Canada’s relations with China.
China reacted today by criticizing the Canadian authorities, saying the plan is “full of ideological bias”.
The document assures that China’s goal is to become the major power in the region through its economic influence, diplomatic impact, offensive military capabilities and advanced technologies.
Canada sees Beijing making “large-scale” investments to adapt the region and the rest of the world to its needs.
“China aims to shape the international order in an environment that is more permissive for interests and values that increasingly diverge from our own,” the Canadian strategic plan adds.
The plan calls for spending 500 million Canadian dollars (about $370 million) over the next five years to strengthen military and intelligence cooperation with Ottawa’s allies in the region.
Senior Canadian officials who discussed the contents of the plan with reporters on Monday said it contains tools to deepen relations with Japan and South Korea in the North Pacific, a region they call “the neighborhood of the Canada”.
Along with increasing its military presence in the Pacific, Canada has said it will strengthen its rules on foreign investment to protect Canadian intellectual property and prevent Chinese state-owned companies from controlling key raw materials.
The release of the Indo-Pacific Strategic Roadmap comes as China-Canada relations are at their lowest level in decades.
Ottawa and Beijing have traded criticism and retaliation since Canadian police arrested Meng Wanzhou, a Chinese national who is Huawei’s chief financial officer and daughter of the Chinese tech company’s founder, at the request of the United States in December 2018.
After Meng’s arrest, China arrested two Canadian citizens, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, accusing them of espionage.
Meng, Spavor and Kovrig regained their freedom in September 2021 after a tripartite agreement between Canada, the United States and China. But diplomatic relations between Canada and China have never been restored.
(c) EFE Agency
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