(Ottawa, Canada) – Canada and China have held their first Ministerial Dialogue on Energy, agreeing to pursue closer cooperation in conventional and renewable energy, civil nuclear power and uranium resources.

Canadian Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson and Wang Hongzhi, administrator of China’s National Energy Administration, co-chaired the videoconference on November 3 in Ottawa, November 4 in Beijing, according to a joint readout released by Natural Resources Canada.

The governments encouraged energy companies to explore trade, technology exchanges, investment and joint projects. Canadian provinces and territories also participated, alongside businesses from both countries.

The readout sets out areas for further work but announces no individual supply contract, investment amount or construction timetable. Both governments said closer cooperation could support energy security and the energy transition. They also agreed to continue coordinating on energy issues through multilateral forums.

The meeting follows discussions between Hodgson and Wang in January. At that time, Natural Resources Canada said the ministers backed an energy-cooperation memorandum covering policy coordination, information sharing and collaboration between public and private organizations.

Those earlier talks included renewable power and grid-scale technology. Hodgson also highlighted liquefied natural gas projects operating or under construction on Canada’s West Coast as potential suppliers to Asian markets.

The energy dialogue comes during a separate round of trade discussions. Reuters reported Wednesday that Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao met Canadian Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu on Tuesday. China’s commerce ministry said the talks covered established industries and emerging areas, including clean energy and advanced manufacturing.

Reuters also reported that the countries reached an initial trade arrangement in January reducing electric-vehicle and canola tariffs. The latest energy readout does not announce further tariff changes.

Accompanying image: editorial illustration.

Sources