Canada sends navy ships to Indo-Pacific in major military move

Canadian Defense Minister David McGuinty stated that this is also Ottawa's aspiration to build closer trade relations with China.

"We are strengthening our presence here with Japan; with Korea; with the Philippines. But we’re also — with discipline — managing our relationship with China,," the defense minister said.

Canadian naval vessels will arrive in the Indo-Pacific region in August and November for exercises, which will also include port calls in Japan, McGuinty said during a visit to Tokyo as head of a defense trade delegation comprising 175 organizations and approximately 300 representatives.

According to a delegation member, the signing of three cooperation agreements in the defense sector between Japanese and Canadian companies is scheduled for today, June 25.

"We’ve got a long relationship here, but we want to build on it more deeply, more widely. Under the defense sphere we’re looking for high-end research, artificial intelligence, quantum, cryptography — where Canada and Japan both excel. We’re looking at engineering, design, maritime systems," McGuinty said.

Canada's impetus to deepen defense ties with Japan comes amid its search for defense and trade partners outside North America, given the unstable relations with the US since President Donald Trump returned to power, the agency's article notes.

Canada's military activity

Recently, the country has been increasingly strengthening military contacts and signing contracts. Days ago, it became known that Ottawa will begin rearming Poland as part of its independence from the US. A Montreal-based company won a tender worth over $10 million, with the subject of the agreement being Canadian-made tactical radio stations.

Canada is also moving away from US reconnaissance aircraft, seeking to replace them with GlobalEye aircraft from the Swedish company Saab.