The Government of Canada has advanced this Sunday its new strategic plan for the Indo-Pacific region that contemplates an investment of approximately 2,000 million euros in maritime security, information technology, and cooperation with its regional allies, to combat the influence of China, which he describes as an “increasingly disruptive power on the global scene.”
“The emergence of China has been made possible by the same international rules and norms that it is now increasingly ignoring,” warns the official document collected by the CBC chain, and presented in part by the Foreign Minister, Melanie Joly.
This rise, the Canadian government argues, “has had a huge impact on the Indo-Pacific” and now Beijing “has the ambition to become the leading power in the region” through “large-scale investments to consolidate its economic influence, its diplomatic impact and its offensive military capabilities”.
“China seeks to shape the international order in a more permissive environment for interests and values that increasingly diverge from ours,” warns Canada.
The €2 billion will be accompanied by a bill to change investment regulations to prevent state-owned companies and other foreign entities that threaten Canada’s national security from seizing critical Canadian industries and intellectual property.
In addition, all federal departments will be directed to review their Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with China and other countries to ensure that Canada’s national interests are protected.
In the same way, the new strategy ratifies the alliance with Taiwan with the opposition of the Canadian Government to “any unilateral action that threatens the ‘status quo’ in the Strait”.
This strategic document has taken years to finish drafting and Canada’s regional allies, such as Japan and South Korea, had been waiting for its presentation for months as a gesture to strengthen their relations.
