Canada’s Trudeau to visit South Korea; focus on minerals, security
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's visit to South Korea is the first in nine years by a Canadian leader.
PHOTO: AFP
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SEOUL – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will arrive in South Korea on Tuesday for a summit with President Yoon Suk-yeol, as the two countries seek to boost cooperation on security and critical minerals used in batteries.
Mr Yoon and Mr Trudeau are scheduled to hold a summit and joint press conference on Wednesday, followed by an official dinner, said Mr Yoon’s deputy national security adviser Kim Tae-hyo.
Mr Trudeau’s visit, the first in nine years by a Canadian leader, marks the 60th anniversary of bilateral relations, and both sides will issue a joint statement mapping out their partnership for the next 60 years, Mr Kim said.
The two United States allies have been exploring ways to deepen cooperation on critical minerals used in electric vehicle (EV) batteries and step up intelligence sharing.
“The two leaders will discuss intensively on ways to build a norms-based global order including on North Korea’s human rights issues, launching a high-level economic and security dialogue, strengthening cooperation on key minerals,” Mr Kim told reporters.
Mr Yoon and Mr Trudeau will sign an agreement on key mineral supply chains, clean energy conversion and energy security cooperation, a South Korean government official told Reuters, requesting anonymity as the deal was not finalised.
Canada has been trying to scale up EV production, with ample mineral reserves, including lithium, cobalt and nickel, which are used to make batteries for those vehicles.
The two leaders agreed to deepen cooperation on minerals supply chains when they met last September, as part of efforts to cut emissions to fight climate change.
Canada and South Korea have also sought to step up security cooperation including intelligence sharing, while navigating an intensifying rivalry between the United States and China.
Diplomatic tensions between Canada and China have been running high since the detention of Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou in 2018 and Beijing’s subsequent arrest of two Canadians on spying charges.
Last week, China expelled a Canadian diplomat in Shanghai
Mr Yoon has trodden cautiously with China, South Korea’s largest trade partner, but he has been more vocal over tension in the Taiwan Strait.
In April, Seoul and Beijing exchanged harsh words over Mr Yoon’s comments
