Foreign Minister Anita Anand will embark on a diplomatic tour to India, Singapore and China from October 12 to October 17 to advance bilateral relations and cooperation with these countries as part of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, officials said on Saturday.
“During her visit to Delhi, India, Minister Anand will meet with Minister of External Affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, as both countries move toward establishing a framework for strategic cooperation on issues such as trade diversification, energy transformation and security,” read a statement issued by the Canadian government.
Minister Anand will also travel to Mumbai, where she will meet with Canadian and Indian firms working to support investment, job creation and economic opportunity in Canada and India.
Singapore visit
In Singapore, the Minister will meet with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vivian Balakrishnan, to further strengthen Canada’s cooperation with one of its most important partners in Southeast Asia.
This meeting comes as Canada and Singapore mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Minister Anand will highlight the progress Canada and ASEAN member states have made toward a free trade agreement and underscore the importance of efforts to conclude negotiations as soon as possible in 2026.
Canada tour
In China, Minister Anand will meet with China’s Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, to continue engagement on the bilateral relationship as Canada and China mark 55 years since establishing diplomatic ties.
This meeting builds on the commitment made by Prime Minister Mark Carney and the Premier of China, Li Qiang, to regularise channels of communication between the two countries.
The ministers will discuss the Canada-China Strategic Partnership, the evolving bilateral and global context, as well as issues of importance to the Canadian economy.
Why does Anand’s India visit assume significance?
The Canadian Minister’s visit to India assumes significance with the relationship between the two nations deteriorating during former PM Justin Trudeau’s tenure.
Diplomatic relations between the two nations hit a low point in 2023 following tensions related to Khalistani separatist movements and the tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats.
However, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney aimed to improve the ties and invited Narendra Modi to the G7 Summit.
The relationship between India and Canada touched an all-time low during the tenure of former PM Justin Trudeau following the death of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
A diplomatic row between the two countries began after Trudeau alleged India’s role in the killing of the Khalistani leader.
In June 2023, Nijjar, who was a Canadian citizen, was gunned down close to the Vancouver gurdwara.
Trudeau continuously alleged ‘agents’ of the Indian government were behind Nijjar’s killing.
The Indian government continuously rejected all allegations levelled against it.
India and Canada had then expelled and recalled senior diplomats, with ties reaching their lowest points at the end of Trudeau’s tenure.
In January 2025, a Canadian commission probing into alleged foreign interference in its electoral processes and democratic institutions, in its report, stated that “no definitive link” with a “foreign state” in connection with the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was “proven”.
The Indian government’s position was vindicated by the report.
Canadian politics soon witnessed a massive change with Mark Carney taking charge of the Liberal Party and becoming the Prime Minister after Trudeau stepped down from the post, ending his 10-year rule.
