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Carney’s Pivotal Test of Leadership: Getting the Asia-Pacific Strategy Right

Carney’s Pivotal Test of Leadership: Getting the Asia-Pacific Strategy Right
Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives for a press conference during a meeting of Canada's premiers at Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville, Ont., July 22, 2025. The Canadian Press/Nathan Denette
Dean Baxendale
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Commentary

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s strategic tilt toward the Indo-Pacific is not merely symbolic; it is the litmus test of his foreign policy and leadership legacy. His diplomatic re-engagement with India, combined with recalibrated ties to the United States and Europe, represents a careful but necessary reconfiguration of Canada’s global positioning. However, it is also a tightrope act that demands unflinching clarity on principles, particularly in any re-engagement with the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

Dean Baxendale
Dean Baxendale
Author
Dean Baxendale is the CEO of Optimum Publishing International and the China Democracy Fund. Baxendale's career has spanned various facets of the industry, including as an entrepreneur, writer, columnist, publisher, educator, and communications specialist. Optimum has published a number of seminal investigative books on China's infiltration of the West, including “Hidden Hand” and “The Mosaic Effect.”