Harry Ho-jen Tseng, head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada. Courtesy of Harry Ho-jen Tseng
Taiwan’s ambassador to Canada says Ottawa may be delaying the signing of a trade agreement with the island nation as it’s seeking closer ties with Beijing.
Harry Tseng, head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada, said in an interview with CBC’s French arm Radio-Canada that Taiwan has been left with the impression that Canada is seeking to improve its relations with China at the expense of its relationship with Taiwan.
He said a trade cooperation framework agreement between Ottawa and Taipei has been ready to be finalized since April 2025. He added that there are no negotiations left and every page of the agreement has already been initialed, which he said indicates the agreement document is complete.
“Not only [is it] initialed—we have three versions of the text ready: English, French, and Mandarin,” Tseng said, according to CBC. “That tells you how close we are to the final signature. This is a result of very long-term synergy and it is there, readily available.”
The Chinese communist regime considers Taiwan, an independent democratic island nation, part of its territory. Taiwan, meanwhile, is pushing back against Beijing’s international pressure campaign to sideline the island, calling on international organizations such as the Interpol to recognize its participation.
Tseng’s comments come on the heels of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s trip to China last month, during which he signed a series of agreements and said Ottawa is seeking a strategic partnership with Beijing, and that relations between the two countries are entering a “new era.”
Ahead of Carney’s Beijing trip, two Liberal MPs who were on a trip to Taiwan were advised by Ottawa to cut their trip short. The MPs, Helena Jaczek and Marie-France Lalonde, said returning to Canada early was important to “avoid confusion” on Canada’s foreign policy. Conservatives said the move hurt democracy and accused Ottawa of “kowtowing to Beijing.”
Reacting to Tseng’s recent remarks, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet called it “cynical” for Ottawa to delay trade agreement with Taiwan.
“Taiwan, a democratic ally threatened by China, the 6th trading partner with which a trade agreement has already been reached but not signed, fears being abandoned so as not to displease China,” Blanchet wrote in a Feb. 4 post on X.
Carney says his government is pursuing trade relations with both Taiwan and China.
“I’m never, never afraid. We have trade relations with Taiwan. But we’re focusing on strengthening our trade relations with China. We’re making a lot of progress. For families in the automotive and clean energy sectors, it’s been a great success,” Carney said, according to CBC.