By Alasdair Pal
SYDNEY, March 3 (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Australia on Tuesday, aiming to bolster relations between the two so-called “middle powers” amid what he has called a “rupture” in world order.
The leaders of both nations, close allies of the United States, are meeting as war escalates in the Middle East, and will look to strengthen ties as top producers of critical minerals.
Carney is on a multi-leg trip across the Asia-Pacific region also taking in Japan and India, where he signed trade deals and reset relations with New Delhi after a year-long spat over Sikh separatism.
Canada and Australia have warmer ties, with the two nations expected to deepen cooperation in areas such as defence and maritime security, critical minerals, trade and artificial intelligence, Carney’s office said ahead of the visit.
Carney is set to address Australia’s parliament and meet Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who described Canada last week as one of Australia’s “closest friends, built on generations of trust”, and urged closer ties to promote national interests.
Western nations seek to build their own stockpiles of critical minerals, key for production of semiconductors and defence applications, as China, the world’s dominant producer, tightens supply.
“There’s a lot Canada and Australia can do together on critical minerals as producer nations,” Australian Resources Minister Madeline King said on Monday, when asked about Carney’s visit.
“Middle powers” needed to work more closely together, Carney said last month in a widely publicised speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
“Middle powers must act together because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu,” he said.
In a speech on Wednesday at the Lowy Institute think tank in Sydney, Carney is expected to press his point further, outlining shifts in the global order and the opportunities they offer middle powers such as Canada and Australia.
(Reporting by Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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