Canada’s Carney Visits India to Boost Trade, Mend Ties on Latest ‘Middle Powers’ Trip

By Maria Cheng
OTTAWA, Feb 27 (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives in Mumbai on Friday on ⁠his ⁠first official visit to India, hoping to reset the sometimes ⁠fractious relationship with the world’s most populous country as he seeks new global alliances.
Carney will meet business leaders in Mumbai and ​start talks on a comprehensive trade agreement, which is expected to be completed by November, his foreign minister told Reuters. He is scheduled to travel on to New Delhi for talks with Prime Minister ‌Narendra Modi.
Carney has sought closer ties with China and ‌Middle Eastern countries as well as India, as he tries to reduce Canada’s dependence on the United States and forge a new global trading order led by what he calls middle-power countries.
Relations between ⁠Canada and India soured ⁠several years ago after explosive allegations by then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the Indian government was linked to ​the assassination of a Canadian citizen who was also a prominent Sikh separatist. India has repeatedly denied any such links.
Unlike several previous Canadian leaders, including Trudeau, Carney will not make a stop in India’s Punjab region, a major origin of Indian migration to Canada. Sikh separatists have pushed for an independent state in the Punjab and a visit there risks irking Carney’s Indian hosts.
Analysts say the move signals a more pragmatic ​foreign policy that aims to wean Canada away from the United States, spurred by President Donald Trump’s tariff war and annexation threats.