Trudeau Says He Will Discuss China Issues with Biden During the President’s Visit to Canada

U.S. President Joe Biden looks to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a meeting of G7 and NATO leaders in Bali, Indonesia, on Nov. 16, 2022. Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he will be discussing China-related issues with U.S. President Joe Biden during the latter’s two-day visit to Canada set to begin on March 23.

However, Trudeau said China is not among the main points he plans to address with Biden, and that topics like climate change, job growth, and the supply of critical minerals will take higher priority.

“We will of course be talking about China,” Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa on March 22. “But the centre of our conversations will be about jobs and growth, critical minerals, and fighting climate change.”

Trudeau added that he and Biden will also speak broadly about the North American economy, but did not provide further details.

Biden’s visit to Canada from March 23 to March 24 will be his first-ever trip to the country in person since becoming president in early 2021.

The U.S. president is set to address the Canadian Parliament during his visit to “highlight the importance of the United States-Canada bilateral relationship,” according to a White House press release issued on March 9.

The White House also said that Biden and Trudeau will discuss shared national security issues and defense cooperation. Specifically, it added that the president will speak with Trudeau about the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

National Defence Minister Anita Anand announced last year that the federal government would be investing nearly $5 billion into modernizing NORAD’s outdated surveillance equipment.

A recent press release from Trudeau’s office says the prime minister will speak with Biden about “ongoing cooperation on continental defence, including NORAD’s key role in defending North America.”

It said that the pair will also discuss advancing Canada-U.S. cooperation in the Arctic.

Reporters asked Anand on March 21 if her department is planning on unveiling any new national defence spending measures during Biden’s upcoming visit, but she did not answer directly.

“We are very committed to NATO,” Anand said during a press conference in Ottawa, adding that Canada has recently increased its defence spending and plans on continuing to do so in the future.

“We will continue to work closely with the United States as we have been doing to move quickly on our projects,” she said, adding, “We’re not sitting idly by to wait for 10 years to pass before we upgrade NORAD and our continental defense.”