Today, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney embarks on a major Indo-Pacific trip, criss-crossing the region on a 10-day tour of India, Australia, and Japan.
The trip will test whether Carney can ‘walk the walk’ after ‘talking the talk’ in Davos, Switzerland, where he called out coercion by “great powers,” called on middle powers to act together, and called for countries to stop invoking the “rules-based international order as though it still functions as advertised.”
India, Australia, and Japan are safe harbours in this geopolitical storm: strengthening ties with them reinforces Canada’s 2022 Indo-Pacific Strategy and Carney's goal of diversifying trade, investment, and security ties away from the U.S., keeping trusted Indo-Pacific partners close as Washington rocks the boat.
Carney's first stops, Mumbai and New Delhi, are an opportunity to grow a Canada–India ‘reset’ — initiated at the G7 leaders’ summit in Kananaskis, Alta., in 2025 — into an “elevated and expanded” relationship.
Carney will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi; the two are expected to announce dozens of agreements, spanning commercial deals in energy and agriculture, and partnerships on university research and AI and technology. The two leaders will also likely provide an update on negotiations on a Canada–India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
Prior ministerial trips and talks have laid the foundation for Carney’s inaugural India trip: Canadian ministers responsible for foreign affairs, public safety, international trade, energy, and AI have all recently engaged with their Indian counterparts.
Carney visited China in January and, in October 2025, travelled to Malaysia, Singapore, and South Korea.
Getting by with a little help from his friends
In Australia, Carney can expect a warm reception: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he “agreed” with Carney’s Davos speech and has invited him to deliver a speech to Australia’s parliament. Carney and Albanese will likely discuss defence-industrial co-operation, technology collaboration, supply chains, critical minerals, and economic security.
In October, Ottawa and Canberra signed a declaration of intent to co-operate on critical-minerals supply chains, recognizing “the growing need” of “reducing reliance on any single source,” understood to mean China. In November 2025, Canada, Australia, and India minted a new trilateral partnership focused on technology, innovation, and supply chains.
In Japan, Carney will meet with his counterpart, Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae, who’s fresh off a massive election win. In her first speech to parliament since her victory, Takaichi warned against Chinese “coercion” and pledged to produce a new defence strategy for Japan. Last month, Canada and Japan inked an Equipment and Technology Transfer Agreement (i.e. a defence agreement), and the Japan-Canada Agreement on the Security of Information entered into force, making it easier for the two countries to share sensitive information.
Takaichi will also be keen to expand stable trade and investment with Canada in light of the U.S.’s ever-changing trade policies.
Japan is one of Canada’s most important Indo-Pacific partners, with deep people-to-people and defence ties, significant trade and investment, and extensive co-operation within the CPTPP, G7, and APEC.
Ottawa, Seoul come together for ‘2+2’ talks
Although Carney is not visiting South Korea on this tour, his ministers continue to work away on the bilateral relationship. Canadian foreign affairs minister Anita Anand and defence minister David McGuinty met their Korean counterparts yesterday for the second ‘2+2’ Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting with South Korea.
The ‘2+2’ format remains relatively rare in Canada’s diplomatic architecture. The previous Canada–South Korea ‘2+2’ was held in November 2024.
