Prime Minister Stephen Harper sat down with Barack Obama and other world leaders today for a meeting about the proposed Asia-Pacific free-trade deal known as the TransPacific Partnership.
The prime minister was making an appearance at the opening day of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit before flying home today to attend Remembrance Day ceremonies on Parliament Hill.
Under heavy security, the U.S. president was whisked into an auditorium at the American embassy in Beijing as Harper and the leaders of the 10 other TPP countries awaited his arrival.
Obama spoke at the beginning of the meeting, urging his fellow leaders to break some of the remaining logjams and move towards a historic deal.
Harper listened intently as Obama spoke.
The U.S. has been pressuring Canada to open up its protected dairy and poultry sectors as TPP negotiations near a crucial year-end deadline.
There are dim hopes for a deal this year, largely due to a stalemate between the U.S. and Japan over whether Japan will open its borders to farm exports.
“We look to China to create a more level playing field on which foreign companies are treated fairly,” Obama said.
“We look to China to become an innovative economy that values the protection of intellectual property rights and rejects cybertheft of trade secrets for commercial gain.”
He also called on China “to stand up for human rights and freedom of the press.”
Japan issued a statement after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s meeting with Harper on Sunday, saying they agreed on the “need to confirm the political determination to settle a deal.”
A look at some of the other agreements and initiatives announced during Stephen Harper’s visit to China:
Foreign Affairs Ministers Dialogue and an Economic and Financial Strategic Dialogue: This agreement is designed to enhance bilateral communication and co-operation in the areas of foreign affairs and economic and financial matters.
Memorandum of Understanding on Nuclear Co-operation: Expansion of this agreement will help the Canadian nuclear industry increase its exports to China and generate jobs and growth in Canada’s nuclear energy sector.
Air Travel: An updated Canada-China Air Transport Agreement allows airlines from both countries to offer more travel options for goods, services and people.
Transit Without Visa Program: Expansion of the Transit Without Visa Program and the China Transit Program adds China Southern Airlines to both programs. Travellers from the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Taiwan who normally require a visa to come to Canada are allowed to transit without a visa if they are travelling through Canada en route to or from the U.S.
Health sector: Both countries will co-operate more closely in several health-related areas, including joint research efforts on infectious disease prevention and control, chronic disease, traditional Chinese medicine, food safety, health innovation as well as health emergency preparedness and response.
Cherries: This agreement marks the normalization of cherry exports from B.C. to China, valued by the industry at $20 million annually. The two sides also agreed to sign a arrangement of intent to develop mutually agreeable conditions for export of fresh blueberries to China.
