Canada's Trudeau to meet Trump for talks on trade pact, detained Canadians

OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on June 20 for talks on a new continental trade pact and two Canadians detained in China, Trudeau's office said on Thursday.

Relations between the two leaders have improved in recent months since hitting a low in June 2018 after Trump insulted Trudeau in the wake of a Group of Seven summit in Canada.

Trudeau's office said Trump and Trudeau would discuss ratification of a new US-Mexico-Canada trade deal which was signed last November. Some Democrats have suggested reopening the deal to boost enforcement provisions but Canada says the idea is unworkable.

Tensions eased last month after the United States lifted tariffs it had imposed on Canadian steel and aluminum exports in 2018, citing national security grounds.

Trudeau also wants to raise the case of two Canadians who were detained in China after Vancouver police picked up a senior Chinese telecommunications executive on a US arrest warrant.

Canadian officials have complained the United States is not exerting enough pressure on Beijing to free the two men and suggest Ottawa could withhold cooperation on major issues.