Defence Minister Anita Anand says China is at the core of Canada’s new Indo-Pacific Strategy, and pledges to challenge Beijing in defence of the region’s stability. However, she would not say specifically whether Canada would defend Taiwan’s de facto sovereignty should China launch a military invasion of the island.
While outlining the defence and security elements of the government’s Indo-Pacific strategy at a virtual press conference on Nov. 27, Anand was asked whether Canada would defend the self-ruled democracy if China invaded.
“We will continue to support a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and from a defence perspective, that means that we will continue to send frigates to the Indo-Pacific. The Taiwan Strait, being international waters, will continue to see us transit through the waters in that region, as we have for decades,” she replied….