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Canadian PM no rush to ink China trade deal till rights issues sorted

CANADIAN Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was in no rush to sign a free trade agreement with China, reported the Vancouver Sun.

"I don't think an FTA is something to rush," Mr Trudeau said when asked if he hopes to strike a trade deal before the end of his first term in 2019.

He made clear that Canada will need to see improvements in human rights, as well as assurances that Canadian companies operating in China will be treated fairly.

"I think it's certainly a goal to look towards, but there's an awful lot of work to do to get towards that, whether it's on human rights and governance issues, whether it's on respect for the rule of law around Canadian investments in China," he said.

"Canada and China have a long and storied relationship that goes back decades, and I certainly hope we're going to be able to benefit from that friendship," he said.

Mr Trudeau said he has constantly raised human rights issues in meetings with his Chinese counterparts, as well as express concerns about consular cases such as the detention of Canadian Kevin Garratt for allegedly spying while in China.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said authorities found evidence "which implicates Garratt in accepting assignments from Canadian espionage agencies to gather intelligence in China."

Mr Garratt has been indicted by prosecutors in Dandong, a city on the North Korean border where he and his wife, Julia, who have lived in China for 30 years ran a popular coffee shop and conducted Christian aid work for North Koreans.

Mr Trudeau said Canada can advance those issues while still seeking to improve trade and investment activity.

Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi berated a reporter for asking about the recent increase in human rights abuses as well as controversy over China's aggressive territorial claims in the South China Sea.

He called the questions "unacceptable" and "irresponsible".