Trudeau government unveils long-awaited plan to confront an 'increasingly disruptive' China

Canada's long-awaited Indo-Pacific strategy describes China as "an increasingly disruptive global power" on the world stage — a social and economic force that's too big to ignore but is also increasingly focused on bending international rules to suit its own interests.

Using some surprisingly blunt language, the strategy says the Canadian government needs to be "clear-eyed" about China's objectives in the Far East and elsewhere. It promises to spend almost half a billion dollars over five years on improving military and intelligence co-operation with allies in the region.

"China's rise, enabled by the same international rules and norms that it now increasingly disregards, has had an enormous impact on the Indo-Pacific, and it has ambitions to become the leading power in the region," says the 26-page document, which was provided to the media in advance of its formal release in Vancouver on Sunday.

"China is making large-scale investments to establish its economic influence, diplomatic impact, offensive military capabilities and advanced technologies. China is looking to shape the international order into a more permissive environment for interests and values that increasingly depart from ours."

The strategy document also says that "China's sheer size and influence makes co-operation necessary to address some of the world's existential pressures, such as climate change and biodiversity loss, global health and nuclear proliferation."

In that respect, Canada's foreign policy blueprint mirrors the approaches taken by its closest allies, including the United States, which last February released its own vision for engagement in the region.

Where the American and Canadian strategies differ is in how Canada's document spells out that it will "at all times unapologetically defend our national interest" and that its views will be "shaped by a realistic and clear-eyed assessment of today's China."

Many observers — including some prominent Liberals — have urged the government over the past few years to maintain the pro-business and investment relationship with Beijing that has built up over the last two decades.

The new strategy document, however, appears to reflect the lessons of the bruising international clashes that have driven relations between Canada and China into the deep freeze: the arrest and extradition fight involving Chinese telecom executive Meng Wanzhou; China's retaliatory detention of Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig; and even the lecture Chinese President Xi Jinping recently delivered to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — an event caught on camera.

"In areas of profound disagreement, we will challenge China, including when it engages in coercive behaviour — economic or otherwise — ignores human rights obligations or undermines our national security interests and those of partners in the region," the strategy document says.

In an interview airing Sunday on CBC's Rosemary Barton Live, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly described the overall plan as "pragmatic" and principled.

"Our approach is clear, you know, and we have a clear framework which is essentially about protecting our national interests without compromising our values and principles," Joly said.

"So what I've said many times at this point is we will challenge when we ought to and we will co-operate when we must."

Overall, the strategy envisions about $2 billion in investments to, among other things, strengthen Canadian "infrastructure, democracy and Canadian citizens against foreign interference."