BC Prime Minister David Eby, who is in a 10 -day commercial mission to East Asia, said Japanese conglomerates have expressed interest in natural gas (LNG) of the province and critical mineral exports in the midst of an uncertain world commercial market.
The position and tariff threats of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, have led the province to analyze the diversification of their commercial relations, given how much historically based on the United States as a commercial partner.
Eby’s trip to Japan, South Korea and Malaysia is part of that effort, with the prime minister who seeks to sell investors and governments in the mining, natural resources and soft wood sectors of the province.
In statements to the journalists of Osaka, Japan, on Tuesday afternoon, the prime minister said that Japanese conglomerates such as Mitsubishi and Nippon Steel showed a great awareness of copper and nickel exports of the province in meetings.
The BC Prime Minister David Eby is aimed at a 10 -day trip to East Asia in an attempt to diversify the commercial relations of the province. Prime Minister’s vice president Niki Sharma will attend a meeting of Canada’s prime ministers with Prime Minister Mark Carney in his place.
“These companies have participated in projects in British Columbia, and wanted to know about our electrification plans, the transmission line of the North Coast, our support to the mining sector, permits problems, how we are working with the first nations,” Eby told journalists.
“And so it was a very useful discussion for a group that was incredibly aware of British Columbia.”
Eby said that the companies and investors with whom he has spoken also expressed interest in the $ 40B Canada DNADA project located in Kitimat, BC, which recently connected and is expected to export 14 million tons of natural gas per year.
“He [Japanese] The government has just published a new energy plan in which they are eliminating elimination and reducing heavy oil dependence, “Eby said.” They are looking for natural gas as a significant bridge fuel, in addition to having discussions about the expansion of nuclear here.
“But they are still very committed to reducing carbon pollution, they are still committed to addressing climate change, and they see the GNL Canada project as an important part of its general strategy.”
Premier rules out the oil lifting prohibition
At the first meeting of ministers in Saskatoon with Prime Minister Mark Carney, which is attended by the vice representative Niki Sharma instead of EBY, both in the Prime Minister of Ontario Doug Ford and Alberta Prime Minister Danielle Smith
A previously proposed pipeline was found with resistance from the communities along the project route and was effectively murdered when the federal government announced a moratorium in the tankers along the north coast in 2016.
When asked about the project, Eby said he did not support to lift the prohibition of oil tankers along the north coast, and said that his government supported the trans Mountain pipe owned by existing taxpayers.
Alberta Prime Minister Danielle Smith tells Power & Politics that he found the comments of Prime Minister Mark Carney about a possible pipe of the northwest ‘very encouraging’ and a ‘change of sea’ where the discussions of the prime ministers on energy projects were six months ago.
“It is not my job to enter and tell Prier Ford that it is extremely unlikely that there is a tunnel built under 401 [highway]”Eby said.
“It is not my job to enter and tell Premier Smith that his vision for North Coast Pipeline is many, many free years.”
Eby also said that Trump’s threats to double the rate on steel and 50 percent aluminum in Midnight et on Tuesday would be devastating for Canadian and Japanese companies.
“The metallurgical coal that occurs in British Columbia for steel manufacturing is a much lower carbon than the metallurgical coal that occurs in other parts of the world. It is a priority for Nippon Steel,” said Prime Minister.
“Obviously, when we have an important client for the anthracite of British Columbia affected by these tariffs, that is a concern for us.”
During the weekend, the BC Assembly of the regional chief of the first nations, Terry Teegee, announced that it would not attend a 10 -day commercial mission to East Asia with Prime Minister David Eby. Teegee says that his withdrawal was due to the recent legislation of the province, aimed at accelerating infrastructure projects, which the boss says he does not comply with the declaration on the rights of the Law of Indigenous Peoples.
The prime minister said the federal government should prioritize the elimination of internal commercial barriers and prioritize the flow of goods throughout the country, in response to Trump’s tariff threats.
In Osaka, Eby is ready to meet with forest companies and attend an exhibition with products made of BC
TORIES criticizes the trip
Although Eby continues to paint its Asian commercial mission as positive for the economy of the province, BC opposition conservatives criticized the mission as a “damage control garbage.”
In a statement, Teresa Wat, the opposition’s trade criticism, said the NDP government had closed 13 commercial offices in seven Asian countries in 2019, which means that the province was now building commercial relations from scratch.
“If this BC NDP government had not closed 13 independent commercial offices, we would not have to catch up when we face constant threats of higher US tariffs,” Wat said in the statement.
EBY and the rest of the BC delegation will return to BC on June 10.
