OTTAWA -- A committee of Canadian MPs is seeking budget approval to make a trade trip to Taiwan this fall but the plan could escalate tensions with China.
NDP MP Brian Masse who sits on the House of Commons international trade committee says the trip is still in the planning stages.
Conservative MP and committee vice-chair Randy Hoback says Canadian MPs used to go to Taiwan twice a year before COVID-19, but he wants to consult Global Affairs Canada before making the trip now.
Earlier this month China condemned a trip to Taiwan by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
China regards the island of Taiwan as its territory and Beijing imposed sanctions on Pelosi in retaliation at her visit and held military drills around Taiwan to voice its displeasure.
During Pelosi's visit Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly urged China to de-escalate tensions saying legislators often make international visits and they should not be used to justify China's decision to stage military drills.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 17, 2022.
