Canada's Trudeau to make first official visit to S Korea; minerals, security on the agenda

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is scheduled to arrive in South Korea on Tuesday for a meeting with President Yoon Suk Yeol to discuss security and vital minerals used in batteries.

Yoon and Trudeau will meet and have a joint press conference on Wednesday, followed by a formal dinner, according to Yoon's deputy national security advisor, Kim Tae-hyo.

Trudeau's visit, the first by a Canadian leader in nine years, commemorates the 60th anniversary of bilateral ties, and both sides will publish a joint statement outlining their cooperation for the next 60 years, Kim added.

The two nations have been discussing ways to expand cooperation on crucial minerals used in EV batteries and increase intelligence sharing.

"The two leaders will discuss intensively on ways to build a norms-based global order including on North Korea's human rights issues, launching a high-level economic and security dialogue, strengthening cooperation on key minerals," Kim told reporters.

Yoon and Trudeau will sign an agreement on major mineral supply chains, renewable energy conversion, and energy security cooperation, a South Korean government official told Reuters, demanding anonymity because the accord was not finished.

Canada to increase EV manufacturing

Canada has been attempting to increase EV manufacturing due to abundant mineral deposits, including lithium, cobalt, and nickel, which are needed to produce batteries for such cars.

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When the two presidents met in September, they pledged to expand cooperation on mineral supply chains as part of efforts to reduce emissions and combat climate change.

While navigating a rising rivalry between the US and China, the two nations have also worked to increase security cooperation, including intelligence sharing.

Since the imprisonment of Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou in 2018 and Beijing's subsequent arrest of two Canadians on spying charges, diplomatic relations between Canada and China have been high.

China expelled a Canadian diplomat in Shanghai last week in retaliation for Ottawa's expulsion of a Chinese ambassador in Toronto.

Yoon has treaded carefully with China, South Korea's major trading partner, but he has been more vocal about Taiwan Strait tensions. Last month, Seoul and Beijing traded barbs over Yoon's remarks in an interview with Reuters.

(With inputs from agencies)

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