Minister discusses trade with counterparts on margins of G20
by CMO Staff
Canada's trade minister visited Japan, Turkey and South Korea to boost sales for Canadian canola and to discuss future opportunities
Canada’s trade minister, Jim Carr, returned from a trade mission to Japan and South Korea, where he promoted Canadian canola exports and other agricultural products alongside industry representatives and trade ministers from Alberta and Saskatchewan.
In Japan, Minister Carr met with his counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, Minister Responsible for Economic Revitalization, to discuss opportunities generated by the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Minister Carr also visited companies involved in the agri-food sector, such as Costco Wholesale Japan, Nisshin Flour Mills, NYKK Oilseed, Mitsubishi and Itochu.South
“This successful trade mission to Japan and South Korea was a great way for government, provinces and industry to come together and find ways to increase sales for high-quality Canadian canola and other great agricultural products in these key markets,” Carr said in a press statement.
The Minister laid the foundation for an arrangement with Costco Wholesale Japan to increase the amount of Canadian high-quality products and nutritious agri-food items sold through the company’s extensive network of 26 stores.
Carr and other G20 ministers concluded the G20 Ministerial Meeting on Trade and Digital Economy in Tsukuba, Japan, with a statement that included a strong call for open markets and urgent World Trade Organization (WTO) reform. Japan is Canada’s third-largest trading partner in agriculture and food.
On the margins of the G20 meetings, Carr discussed trade and investment opportunities with key counterparts, and hosted a meeting with some of the members of the Ottawa Group on WTO reform to further advance rules-based trade under the WTO.
After meeting with Ruhsar Pekcan, Turkey’s Minister of Trade, Minister Carr also signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a Canada-Turkey joint economic and trade committee. As a commercial partner, Canada reported more than $3.6 billion in bilateral trade with Turkey in 2018.
In South Korea, Carr met with his counterpart, Yoo Myung-hee, minister responsible for trade, to discuss future trade opportunities and their shared commitment to World Trade Organization reform. Carr engaged with the local business community on canola and market diversification and met with top South Korean buyers of canola oil. He also signed a joint statement with Lotte Mart, a leading South Korean retailer of food and beverage products, to expand their trade partnership with Canada.
Free trade agreements create competitive advantages so Canadian exporters can tap new markets in leading global economies, such as Japan and South Korea. The CPTPP and the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement are among the agreements that now provide Canadian farmers and producers with preferential market access to an estimated 1.5 billion consumers in more than 50 countries around the world.
