GYEONGJU, South Korea: Canadian premier Mark Carney on Saturday called talks with China’s leader Xi Jinping a “turning point” in relations, adding he had raised tricky topics like foreign interference with Beijing.
Canada’s relations with China have been among the worst of any Western nation but both are at the sharp end of Donald Trump’s tariff onslaught, even after Xi and the US leader’s deal Thursday to dial back tensions.
China and Canada on Friday held their first formal talks between their leaders since 2017 on Friday.
“We have now unlocked a path forward to address current issues,” Carney told journalists in the South Korean city of Gyeongju, referring to China.
“Our overall discussion was constructive,” he added.
Carney said Saturday he had accepted an invitation from Xi to visit “in the new year.”
“I directed our ministers and officials to work together to find solutions to current challenges and to identify areas for cooperation and growth,” he said.
The US president last Saturday said he was hiking tariffs on Canadian goods by an additional 10 percent and terminated all trade talks.
This followed what Trump called a “fake” anti-tariff ad campaign that featured the late former president Ronald Reagan.
Carney said Saturday he had apologized to Trump for that ad.
“I did apologize to the president. The president was offended,” he said.
Canada PM says talks with Xi marked ‘turning point’ in relations
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Canada PM says talks with Xi marked ‘turning point’ in relations
- Canada’s relations with China have been among the worst of any Western nation, but both are at the sharp end of Donald Trump’s tariff onslaught
Greek police detain 313 in raid at university after mob attacked police
- Such attacks against riot police near the university campus are not uncommon
- Riot police used tear gas and stun grenades to beat back the attackers
THESSALONIKI, Greece: Authorities in Greece on Saturday detained 313 people in a raid on the university campus of the country’s second-largest city, Thessaloniki, after riot police were attacked by mobs of people hurling more than 100 Molotov cocktails.
Greek police said roving groups of people wearing hoods emerged from the campus of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in the predawn hours Saturday to attack a squad of riot police. The unit is usually deployed some distance from the campus to quell any disturbances after all-night parties that take place on university grounds.
Police said all 313 people were released without being charged.
Such attacks against riot police near the university campus are not uncommon but it’s the first time that so many people were detained after such a clash during which an unusually high number of firebombs was used.
Riot police used tear gas and stun grenades to beat back the attackers. One officer was taken to a military hospital for burns to his face and leg while a 21-year-old civilian was treated for respiratory problems, police said.
The university said in a statement that off-campus “extremists” in conjunction with some individuals from within university grounds had committed the attacks. They said an investigation is underway to determine if any students had taken part. They added that no permission had been granted for any party to take place on university grounds.
