Canada and the European Union (EU) announced on Tuesday a new strategic partnership on raw materials, aimed at cutting dependency on China for critical mineral supplies.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also mentioned other goals of the new partnership.
Canada and the EU said in a joint statement that the partnership will focus on enhancing “security and sustainability of trade and investment; integration of raw material value chains; science, technology and innovation collaboration; and environmental, social, governance” criteria.
In particular, Canada thanked its European allies for continued support for the two Canadian citizens—Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor—who have been arbitrarily detained by Chinese authorities since December 2018.
The men, known as “two Michaels,” were detained days after Canadian authorities arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. extradition request. Meng was charged with bank fraud for allegedly lying to multiple financial institutions, including HSBC, in an effort to evade American sanctions against Iran.