As North Korea fires missiles, Trudeau pledges strengthening Canadian forces in Indo-Pacific
Trudeau #Trudeau
Breadcrumb Trail Links
‘Unacceptable’: APEC gathering sidetracked by the news that North Korea had launched a ballistic missile that landed near Japanese waters
Author of the article:
The Canadian Press
Dylan Robertson
Publishing date:
Nov 17, 2022 • 10 minutes ago • 2 minute read Join the conversation 
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with President of Chile Gabriel Boric during the APEC Summit in Bangkok, Thailand on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022. Photo by Sean Kilpatrick /The Canadian Press Article content
BANGKOK — The Liberal government’s long-promised Indo-Pacific strategy will include new investments to strengthen the role the Canadian Armed Forces plays in the region, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday in Thailand.
Advertisement 2
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
“This will support our allies, Japan and South Korea, and all of us in the Pacific,” Trudeau said Friday as he wrapped up his participation in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
NP Posted
By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 Thanks for signing up!
Article content
The gathering had been sidetracked by the news that North Korea had launched a ballistic missile that landed near Japanese waters.
“This is completely unacceptable, and must not continue,” Trudeau told reporters at a news conference in Bangkok.
The United States called an impromptu meeting with the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, hosting by U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris.
Trudeau told his five colleagues that Canada will continue its role in a United Nations mission, called Operation Neon, to monitor sanctions on North Korea.
Advertisement 3
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
“Canada joins our allies in condemning in the strongest terms the continued, irresponsible actions of North Korea,” he said.
Trudeau said the repeated missile launches “need to be condemned by all, in the region and around the world.”
Before Trudeau was pulled aside to discuss North Korea’s move with other leaders, he announced that Ottawa will spend $13.5 million to launch a team in Canada and Asia to form energy partnerships.
The announcement does not list specific products, but likely involves Canada selling more natural gas and buying equipment for green technology.
“The need for clean energy and green infrastructure is also growing at a rapid pace here in the Indo-Pacific,” Trudeau said in his opening remarks at the news conference before taking questions from reporters.
Advertisement 4
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
“As the world moves towards net-zero, there is enormous potential to grow our ties in the natural resources sector.”
While Trudeau previously spoke about expanding natural-gas exports to Japan and Korea, his office said he also wants to exchange natural resources with India, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Taiwan.
The new funding is part of the Indo-Pacific strategy that the Liberals have started gradually rolling out, after promising one for years.
In other meetings, the Prime Minister’s Office said Trudeau called out Russia’s war with Ukraine and stressed the importance of the World Trade Organization in upholding trade rules.
During a leaders’ session, Trudeau was seated between the heads of government of Brunei and Chile, as they were placed in alphabetical order of each country’s English name. This may have avoided another awkward encounter between Trudeau and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Advertisement 5
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Chinese president warns Trudeau ‘leaked’ conversation could have consequences 
Terry Glavin: Xi Jinping takes Justin Trudeau down a peg Xi was filmed Wednesday accusing Trudeau of harming diplomatic relations by sharing details with the media about a prior meeting.
Trudeau was scheduled to have lunch with a group including Saudi Arabia’s prime minister, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which Trudeau’s office says was organized by the Thai government.
As the meeting host, Thailand had invited leaders of non-APEC economies, including bin Salman, French President Emmanuel Macron and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The Associated Press reported that the Cambodian leader, however, had cancelled his visit to Thailand and had left the G20 summit in Bali early after testing positive for COVID-19.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 18, 2022.
Share this article in your social network Advertisement
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Related Stories
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Comments
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.