Commentary: Middle power pragmatism underpins Canada’s outreach to India and China
CNA
US President Donald Trump’s upending of long-held alliances has made Canada realise that it must engineer new frameworks to survive the disintegration of the world order, says former foreign correspondent Nirmal Ghosh.
SINGAPORE: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent visits to China and India yielded a flurry of agreements, with some reports describing the trips as a “reset” in bilateral relations.
But these were more than routine diplomatic engagements. Beyond efforts to repair troubled relationships, they signalled a broader intent – to step out of the shadow of Canada’s giant southern neighbour, the United States.
US President Donald Trump’s upending of long-held assumptions of alliances, as well as claims to Canada and Greenland, has made Ottawa realise that it must engineer pragmatic new frameworks if it is to survive the disintegration of the world order.
In a now widely referenced speech delivered at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, Mr Carney said the old world order was not coming back and urged middle powers to “act together because if we're not at the table, we're on the menu”.
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