Canada's Carney arrives in Australia for meeting of 'middle powers'

By Alasdair Pal

SYDNEY, March ‌3 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime ​Minister ​Mark Carney arrived in Australia on Tuesday, aiming to bolster relations between the two so-called "middle powers" amid what he has called ‌a "rupture" in world order.

The leaders of both nations, close allies of ⁠the United States, are meeting as war escalates in the Middle East, and will ‌look to strengthen ties as ‌top producers of critical minerals.

Carney is on a multi-leg trip across the Asia-Pacific region also taking in Japan and India, where he signed trade ​deals and reset relations with New Delhi after a year-long spat over Sikh separatism.

Canada and Australia have warmer ties, with the two nations ⁠expected to deepen cooperation in areas such as defence and maritime security, critical minerals, trade and artificial ​intelligence, Carney's office said ahead of the visit.

Carney is set to address Australia's parliament and meet Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who ​described Canada last week as one of ‌Australia's "closest friends, built on generations of trust", and urged closer ties to promote national interests.

Western nations seek to build their ⁠own stockpiles of critical minerals, key for production of semiconductors and defence applications, as China, the world's dominant producer, tightens supply.

"There's a lot Canada and Australia can do ⁠together on critical minerals as producer nations," Australian Resources Minister Madeline King said on Monday, ​when asked about Carney's visit.

"Middle powers" needed to work more closely together, Carney said last month in a widely publicised speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

"Middle ‌powers must act together because if we're not at the table, we're on the menu," he said.

In a speech ‌on Wednesday at the Lowy Institute think tank in Sydney, Carney is expected ⁠to press his point further, outlining ‌shifts in the global ​order and the opportunities they offer middle powers such as Canada and Australia.

(Reporting by Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Editing by ‌Clarence Fernandez)

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