On the eve of a diplomatic trip to the Indo-Pacific region, Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly raised the tone towards China, a power we cannot ignore economically but must also be cautious of, according to the minister.
In a speech delivered in Toronto on the morning of Wednesday, November 9, 2022, the Canadian Foreign Minister said that China’s demographic weight and influence "make cooperation with it necessary to face global challenges," such as climate change.
But Joly was also keen to emphasize that, when necessary, Canada will not hesitate to confront China, which is "a global power increasingly disturbing the world order" and "seeks to shape the global environment to be more lenient with interests and values that increasingly diverge from our values."
Minister Joly promised to continue defending human rights in China, “where credible claims of documented violations and crimes against humanity” exist, to continue opposing unilateral measures that threaten the status quo regarding Taiwan, and also to continue defending freedom of expression in Hong Kong.
The Foreign Minister in Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government addressed Canadians who have economic interests in China.

"We must see things clearly (...). My job requires me to tell you that there are geopolitical risks associated with doing business with this country," Joly said, promising to assist them.
But how can Canada deepen its ties with Indo-Pacific countries without antagonizing China, the giant country at the heart of the region?
This $50 million investment will go especially to Canada’s "key embassies" to send experts there who are "dedicated to deepening our understanding of the challenges China poses and the opportunities it offers," Mélanie Joly said.
The Prime Minister of Canada and his Foreign Minister will soon head to Asia where they participate in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit held in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, then at the Group of Twenty (G20) summit in Bali, Indonesia, and then at the economic leaders’ meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in the Thai capital Bangkok.
Canada’s goal for this trip, according to Minister Joly, is to be "clear" about how Canada will not only be committed but also how "we will be leaders on the global stage, by deepening our current friendships and seeking new allies."