Trudeau mulling China trip in December, free trade talks possible
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is looking at a possible trade trip to China early next month but Canada isn’t ready to launch formal free trade talks with China just yet.
Canada and China began exploring the idea of a free trade agreement more than a year ago, after Trudeau and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang held back-to-back visits in China and Ottawa.
Three rounds of exploratory talks were held between February and August. Canada also launched consultations on the matter that were completed in June.
“We are in the process of reviewing that and at this time, there has been no decision taken on possible next steps,” said Joseph Pickerell, spokesman for International Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne.