Canada won’t compromise values in relations with China, says foreign minister

Mélanie Joly conceded that it remains hard to shut out countries as powerful as China. Photograph: Action Press/Rex/Shutterstock

Canada will work with China when needed – but challenge it when necessary, the country’s foreign minister said, as the two nations prepare to co-host a major environmental summit despite years of diplomatic tensions.

Speaking to the Guardian after her government released its long-awaited “Indo-Pacific Strategy”, Mélanie Joly said that Canada will “promote and defend” its national interests in a region where nations are jockeying for influence and power.