Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng said the country wants to strengthen economic ties with the EU and uphold global trade rules in the face of US tariff threats.
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| Canadian Minister of Trade Mary Ng. (Source: Reuters) |
In Geneva, Switzerland, Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng held an important meeting with European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic on February 8. Before that, she spoke with Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, emphasizing Ottawa's priority in promoting multilateral and bilateral trade cooperation.
Since the Canada-EU Free Trade Agreement (CETA) came into effect in 2017, bilateral trade has grown by an impressive 65%. However, Canada is not resting on its laurels. “Trade agreements are one thing,” Minister Mary Ng stressed. “We’ve seen some really great numbers, but what more can be done to help Canadian businesses penetrate any of the 27 member states… and what more can be done for Canada?”
Canada is also pushing to diversify its exports, setting a target in 2018 to increase exports to countries outside the United States by 50 percent by 2025. Ng said the country is on track to meet or exceed the target.
Canada signed trade deals with Indonesia in December and Ecuador last week and is making a big push in the Indo-Pacific region, she said. Next week, she will lead a delegation of more than 200 businesses to Australia, Singapore and Brunei.
"We are negotiating with Southeast Asian countries, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. I brought a very large delegation of Canadian businesses to the Philippines in December, to Indonesia, to markets like Vietnam, Malaysia, Japan, Korea," she added.
Amid the US threat to impose 25% tariffs on goods imported from Canada and Mexico, Ottawa has maintained a firm stance on defending the rules-based trading system. Minister Mary Ng said Canada will consider all options, including legal action at the WTO, to counter unfair trade measures from the US.
Canada’s head of international trade, export promotion and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) said the country is asserting its role as a country that supports free trade and international cooperation. Strengthening economic ties with the EU, diversifying export markets and protecting the rules-based trading system continue to be Ottawa’s top priorities in a challenging global economic environment.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/canada-tang-toc-hop-tac-voi-eu-thach-thuc-loi-de-doa-thue-quan-cua-my-303657.html
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